To The Void, May I Surrender
by Samurai Smee
Summary: Edward x Jasper. A lonely and somewhat demented Edward longs for Jasper to belong solely to him. A twist of fate brings the two together, and now Edward will do anything to keep his fairytale from ending.
1. Chapter 1

To The Void, May I Surrender

**Chapter One**

_Edward's POV_

God.

He is beautiful.

It's almost too much for me to take in at one time.

Behind my wide-framed sunglasses, I tip my head down to the warm mug in my hands and take another sip of my tea, letting the flavored herbal brew dance across my tongue and offer me another bout of serenity that I desperately need.

However, my eyes never strayed away from the enchanting vision just ahead.

Laughing and full of brilliant life, life that sparkled with the utter purity and happiness that few truly obtained in this existence, the man with bright, golden hair and a smile that consistently made my icy heart flutter wildly within my chest stood at another table whilst he joked with his customers.

I had lost count of how many times I had sat in this same chair outside of this particular cafe' where he worked, just so I could watch him, just so I could sate my endless imagination with his flawless features and enticing charisma.

I envied this man with crystal-clear blue eyes and strong, broad shoulders, as he chatted openly with the many frequenters of this place, having sat himself down with a few of them on occasion in order to answer questions about the items on the menu.

His willingness to extend his vibrant aura to whomever came and went through this modest town was indisputable, and I found myself having surpassed petty jealously of him to where I now admired him for his actions.

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly the reasons why I felt so inexplicably drawn to him, as if I physically needed to see him or suffer some ill-conceived consequences, but it had long since became one of my favorite pastimes to come to this place and try to do exactly that.

I lived for my observations of him, like the way his laughter originated deep from within his chest and often made him lower his chin out of some old-fashioned modesty, and how he was right-handed but seemed to unconsciously perform a number of tasks with his left hand.

He loved his job and it showed in his friendly, almost familiar, interactions with the customers.

His own zest for life made the people he came into contact with feel it, too.

I drank more of my tea, continuing to hold the painted ceramic mug close to my body, as I turned my own inner musing over inside my mind, letting them flourish into more as I could not help but lose myself in such thoughts about the captivating man now gliding seamlessly to another table.

I lusted after this man in front of me with a heart of gold, this man whom I did not even know his name...yet I desired him so fiercely from a distance.

His body was bordering on Greek god-like perfection to me, as if some master sculptor somewhere literally created him from marble stone exactly to my liking, right down to the finest detail, and then breathed life into him.

My eyes always took their time in tracing over the lean, fit lines that made up the tall man's long legs, broad back that gave way into a deceptively trim waist, and strong arms, as I found myself almost glaring at the way he would stretch across tables to carefully set down plates and cups.

His actions, no matter how infinitesimal, always seemed to exude such sensual grace to me, and it fueled something intimate and colorful and exciting inside of me every time I witnessed it.

I had never sat in his section located outside on the walkway, for I knew that I would not know what to do or what to say to him whence he would receive me with his effortless charm.

I would, no doubt, freeze under his radiating warmth.

Oh...how I craved for it to happen just once, though.

I craved to experience the majesty of his full attention, his near-poetic beauty to be solely for me to behold.

I had also lost count of how many times I wished I could simply get over my fears, get over my self-imposed reservations, and just approach him...hear his lovely voice directed at me, have his eyes looking only for me...

"Can I get you anything else, honey?" my middle-aged waitress suddenly asked me at my side, tearing me away from my swirling, sullen thoughts with her chipper voice and kind smile.

I looked up at her, and wordlessly offered a small grin, knowing that she would understand that I was implying the negative.

My grin faded from my lips as my waitress left my side and entered the cafe', once again leaving me to my thoughts and their tireless push and pull of desires and questions, telling me what I wanted but then second-guessing every minute detail that said event might mean.

I hated my warring mind.

I knew I wanted him.

But I also knew that I was scared.

Scared of rejection...scared of not being rejected.

I sighed into my mug, deciding against the last drink of the semi-sweet brew, as I felt my beguiling thoughts win another round with me this time, making my typically withdrawn mood just a little darker still.

Placing a few bills on the table from my jacket and then setting the heavy mug on top of the currency, I stood up and adjusted the length of my sleeves before shoving my hands inside my pockets.

Carefully navigating away from the pattern of bistro-style tables and chairs that cluttered along the outside of the cafe', I kept my eyes on the pavement, not wishing to catch anyone's eye, anyone's attention...only watching as solid grey passed underneath my feet.

"_Hm...but what an intriguing sin it would be to catch his eye, indeed...to have him look at me the same way I look at him..." _my continuously tumbling thoughts voiced to me in full, the weight of which always seeming to hit me squarely in my stomach with its impact of unspoken promises...promises I was positively dying to pursue.

One corner of my lips turned upward at the far-away yet enriching ideal of how happy it would make me to know that man, really know everything about him - all of his thoughts and fears, hopes and even his deepest of fantasies he had never thought to whisper aloud.

My melancholy smile slipped from my features, however, the more I walked...for, the more I walked, the more I knew such ideals were not likely to happen.

Not to me.

Not to someone like me.

No one that positive with so much ahead of him...should have to darken their life just because of me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Edward's POV_

Three days later...

"Hey...what are you reading?"

I blinked stupidly, not trusting my hand to remain steady should I reach up from my cross-legged lap to adjust my sunglasses, as I forced my mind to conjure up that I had not actually heard what I thought I had.

"Excuse me...sir? I asked what you're reading..." the voice spoke again, just as clearly as it had sounded the first time, and I could not help but lift my head up from my book upon hearing what I had only dreamed of hearing since I had first started coming here.

Low and smooth, husky with a rich southern accent, the man with curly golden hair and piercing eyes the color of a rippling ocean, had spoken to me as he currently leaned over the far edge of the rounded table as he politely peeked over at the book I had splayed out in front of me.

I could have sworn in this moment that the earth had only been created to offer an angelic glow to be cast behind this man, as his long, lean stature was positively glistening in the low afternoon sun before me, his perfect features patiently looking upon my own as his rose-petal lips began slowly curving into an impossibly affectionate smile.

"...uh...it's um..." I muttered quietly, suddenly forgetting the title of the book as well as my own name, as I had to force my mouth to close to keep from looking like a total fool, before I simply turned over the book so I may read it aloud from the cover.

"The Philosophy and Teachings of Immanuel Kant..." the beautiful, sun-kissed man from the south spoke for me upon seeing the cover as well, his coy side-smirk still in place on his time-stopping mouth as he flicked his gorgeous eyes back to my partially covered face, "...some pretty heavy stuff."

I swallowed hard, my frozen nerves only gradually beginning to thaw within me, as I turned back to the page I had been reading, and shyly met his steady gaze, barely able to recognize that I had yet to speak intelligently to this man, this...personified obsession of mine.

"Yes...it is, but I...enjoy reading it," I offered plainly yet smartly to the glorious man in front of me, my words only hinting at the fact that I absolutely loved studying other peoples' philosophies from other times in this world's history, that the methods by which people have used to govern their lives and love captured me to no end.

"I'd say so..." the blonde-haired angel chuckled in a heavenly sweet manner, far too precious a sight for someone like me to witness so carelessly, as he continued, "...so, do you teach philosophy or something? You do kind of look like this professor I have right now..."

A professor?

"Do you go to the university here?" I realized a bit too late that I had answered his question with one of my own, my words having flowed out of my mouth this time, but I was instantly rewarded with his smirk turning into a wide, all-encompassing smile at me.

"Yep. I'm in my last year, thank God. After that...well...I guess we'll see what we see," he joked again, his smiles easily gracing his absolutely enthralling features as he lifted a tanned hand to his curly locks and pulled his fingers through his tresses framing around his face, moving them back to blend in with his shorter-styled locks.

"_...Goddamn..."_ the curse flooded through my mind at the unknowingly sensual yet wholly innocent act, my eyes glued to the way his curls bounced playfully back in place, as if they were teasing me to touch them, feel just how silky they were, as he had.

"...I...see," I contributed lamely, still unable to form a solid, valuable thought to voice aloud to this man finally standing before me, chatting with me as if it were nothing, as if his time meant nothing, as my racing and yet frustratingly silent mind struggled to keep up with the situation.

"I'm Jasper, by the way," he graciously provided his name along with his hand that he extended over the small bistro table between us, his fingers long and toughened along some of his knuckles, like he had definitely been through his share of hardships in life, like he was all man and yet completely at my mercy.

I hesitated only for a moment, far too caught up in Jasper's enveloping beauty and how much I already was infatuated with his unique name, able to practically see him making everything around us even brighter, even better in the space of just a few seconds, before I lifted my right hand to his, accepting his friendly handshake which only made his sky-blue eyes glisten with even more merriment.

"...Edward," I told him my name, my voice having come out unbelievably soft as if I were asking him right this moment to let me hold onto him forever, to let me have him and all of his infectious joy for myself.

Please...

Please...just let me be with you, Jasper...let me...own you for just a little while...please...

Just then, appearing from the side door of the cafe' that lead to the sidewalk tables, the owner, an aged, balding man called out for Jasper.

"Jazz? Oh, there you are, boy. Come give the girls a hand with the pastries," the owner of the cafe' spoke steadily but fairly to his employee, receiving a thumbs-up gesture from said southern man who currently held my bleeding heart in his pure hands.

"_...'Jazz'...I like it,"_ I mentally filled in the small space of him being turned away from me with my own musings of Jasper's apparent nickname, a shortened version of his already aesthetically pleasing name which I found irresistible, just like him.

"I'll be right there," Jasper assured his boss who promptly turned back inside the establishment, as Jasper turned back to me.

"It was nice meeting you, Edward. I'll see you around..." Jasper offered warmly as he held my shaded gaze a little longer than necessary, before turning around and following his boss inside the side door, leaving me to watch after him with words still burning on my tongue and my ears already missing his pleasant drawl.

As soon as the door tapped shut, I silently blew out the remainder of my air, feeling as if I had just survived something crucial and could now breathe easier and process the outside world again.

I missed him already, his vibrant nature and masterfully wonderful aura I honestly could bask in for as long as time would allow.

I missed the subtle quirks in his expressions as he spoke, like the way he eyes crinkled when he smiled instead of grinned...like the way his luscious mouth drove me absolutely crazy as I watched him form every word he had spoken to me.

Now that I have seen them all first-hand, I had to see them again.

Jasper was too remarkable to meet once and be done with him; even the thought put a sickening feeling in my gut.

I ducked my copper-colored head down for a moment, not even able to continue reading my beloved philosophy book if I had wanted to, as I quickly took off my sunglasses.

Dropping them onto my lap, I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to will away the crazed butterflies in my stomach as I took slow, measured breaths, trying desperately to concentrate on very little.

My efforts were completely in vain, though, as thoughts, fresh and old, of Jasper now crowded my brain, taunting me with how I used to see his smile from far away directed at other people...and now with crisp memories of him smiling broadly at me from just a few minutes ago.

Collecting my book and sunglasses, I hurried out of my chair to walk down the sidewalk, needing to move, needing to put some distance between myself and the cafe' where such a magnificent human being was right now.

My breathing was deep but a lot steadier than it had been a second ago, and I noticed that the sun was, effectively, vanishing from the afternoon sky, rendering the surrounding city blocks and buildings to have a comforting grey coating that combated with the actual colors of things, as I navigated directly to the other side of the quaint area to my favorite bar.

I needed a pint or two to calm my soaring adrenaline and nearly trembling nerves.

"_...a senior in college this year..."_ my thoughts remained sharp and break-neck fast as they formed and re-formed again inside my mind whilst I walked, my steps hurrying towards the dimly lit bar where seldom people came and spent any great deal of time, as I could already taste the bitter, robust flavor of their wheat ale on my tongue, _"...that makes me about eight years older than him...Christ..."_

I rolled my eyes at myself, some portion in the back of my mind figuring that it made sense that I would be drawn to such obvious youth, such splendid individuality from open-wide eyes and carefree sensibility not yet blemished by the outside world.

Truth be told, I was drawn to his naivety, enamored with the way he was enamored with everything else.

Like a monster wanting a precious jewel only to himself, to look at and hold and admire its flawless shine with no other pair of eyes to play witness to something so sacred, I desired Jasper to be mine.

I needed it, even.

But first...

I really did need that pint of ale.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Edward's POV_

Later that same night...

It was long after I had left the bar, having only had two pints of brown ale and nothing more, that I found myself slowly strolling down the blackened city streets towards my home located on the edge of town.

I definitely felt better after my time sitting at the bar, drinking quietly and paying no real attention to anything in particular.

For me, who constantly analyzed the biggest of circumstances right down to the smallest of details, not bothering to notice much of anything always came as a blessing.

Now, on the deserted street, I felt like my mind was once again my own as I listened to the soft sounds my shoes made against the inky stone and concrete that made up the sidewalk, my senses enjoying the overall silence and my troubled soul enjoying the solitude even more.

However, just as I had passed by the local bakery, I heard the strangest sound.

"_...what the hell...?"_ I mentally questioned, my brows furrowing against the darkness of night as I darted my eyes left and right, trying to tie all of my senses into figuring out just what had made such an odd thudding sound.

For a reason I could not ever explain, I directed my steps towards where I thought the sound had came from, my thoughts intrigued, my senses positively stirring, as I steeled my resolve and gave into my unknown instinct to make sense of what had happened.

With lighter, quicker steps, I crossed the street, heading towards a narrow alleyway which lead along the sides of more closed shoppes and stores, none of them offering any light, as I immersed myself deeper within the bleary darkness.

_Thud!_

My eyes widened, my jaw tightening a bit as I distinctly heard the solid rapping sound once more, my stride slowing at first before I heard a messy, noisy crash tear through the still night, far too noisy to be a mere accident or the result of a stray animal as it echoed off the brick walls at either of my sides.

Suddenly, I was running...running towards these clashing sounds that disrupted by beloved peace, running towards something potentially dangerous, running towards something that could change my life...

"Jesus Christ, man...stop it already...look at him...he's had enough..." a gruff yet worried male voice met my ears, my depth perception able to tell that this person was located in a more open location and not tucked in between these walls as I was, such information telling me that I was about to come across the end to the alleyway and onto the next street over.

"Get off me...don't tell me to go easy on him...he's a fucking fag; he deserves to die..." another voice, another man, replied to the first speaker, this one sounding much more demanding, much more fierce than the other, as his sickening tone reverberated against the dead night air, chilling me.

My steps came to a halt, my eyes finally seeing light shining from a streetlamp overhead, as the white glow shone down upon two burly, middle-aged men, both of them clad in black and looming over a third figure...a smaller man who was not moving on the ground.

My eyes focused on the man lying crumpled on the dirty pavement, half-way slumping against the wall of a building for support, as he breathed heavily, and just barely lifted...his...curly...blonde...head...

My lips parted.

My breathing stopped.

Then, I was moving again...sprinting towards the two standing men.

My mind did not think, did not hesitate or fear or try to find a reason or a line of logic or even a shred of doubt, as I lunged towards one of them, ready to kill them both.

They had hurt Jasper.

These men...these fucking bigots had hurt the one person I desired more than life itself...they had...

My teeth grit in horrendous anger, a scratchy growl escaped my constricted throat as I drove my fist hard into the first man's large stomach, knocking the wind of him in an instant and surprising both him and his friend with my presence.

I did not wait, I could not wait to see any of them react, as my movements came easily, almost too swiftly as if such a thing was a regular activity for me, as I smashed my elbow across the side of the wheezing man's face, hurrying the blow so I may move onto the second offender.

Taking a giant step towards the stunned, second man, I bunched up the muscles in my legs, readying them to support my weight and spring into harsh movement, as I kicked him squarely in his chest, pleased whence I saw a small bit of vomit coat his lips before his eyes screwed shut in pain.

However, perhaps too caught up in my twisted pleasure of watching him fall to the ground in agony, the first man tackled me from behind at an awkward angle, jarring my back as he landed on top of me, already swinging his massive arms.

His fists connected two, three times to my face before I knocked his hands away and thrust my palm into his chin, slamming his bottom jaw upwards in a devastating blow that had his head thrown back, giving me an opportunity to push him off of me and scramble to my feet.

I could not even hear the many curses that these men were shouting at me, only my breathing and the strong humming of blood pulsing in my ears, as I slammed my fist into the second man's mouth, busting his lips and breaking his nose from such crushing impact.

Automatically, I reared my fist towards the other, hitting him firmly in his eye that him hollering out and dropping his guard, as he brought his own hands to shield his face.

More curses, endless fury swelled within this atmosphere amongst us all, adding color and pain and tactical thinking and then no thinking at all to overcome each one of us, as I received another hefty blow to my chin followed closely by another punch to my stomach.

This time, from perhaps my amount of pain starting to outweigh my racing adrenaline, I stumbled backwards, voicing my protesting muscles and bruised flesh, as I choked on my air for only a moment before dashing into action once more, knowing that I could not falter for too long.

My raised forearms blocked another punch before I expertly kicked the attacking man in his torso, positively feeding off of the way he instantly dropped to one knee and coughed haggardly for precious air, but I knew I could not let up now, not even if he was critically injured.

Another strike, another satisfying blow from my sharp knuckles into his already bleeding face, and I felt the snarling monster inside of me laugh hideously at the way he cried out for me to stop...

"God fucking damnit! Move, man...let's get the fuck out of here...fucking freak!" the other one of them spat out, latching a hand onto his friend's arm and forcing him away from me as the pair of them took off in some direction, still cursing, still fuming, until they were far enough away and all was eerily quiet once more.

My hands were shaking at my sides, my knuckles sore and bleeding, my cheeks feeling as they had been set on fire for a few minutes, and I simply did not move for a moment so I may even out my breathing, even out my life again.

A small groan of pain quickly snapped me back to reality, though, as my eyes lowered down to Jasper, my lovely vision of a man, as he struggled to sit up, one of his hands pressed against his side, as he kept his blonde head lowered.

I could feel my chest swell in anger all over again at such a sight, such deeds undeserved to him that had my heart breaking anew, as I took a few steps closer to him and then crouched down in front of him.

"...Jasper...hey...you're safe now...those guys are gone...they're gone...here...come here, sweetheart..." I spoke as softly as I had even spoken to another human being before, carefully reaching my hands towards him and helping him to lean his weight against me.

"...you're alright now...I gotcha..." I continued to murmur to my beautiful angel, slipping an arm underneath his back and legs and gingerly hoisting him up off the cold ground, feeling infinitely relieved that I was holding onto him as I was, that I had somehow known to come here...that he was clutching onto me so tightly right now.

Ferocious ache in my jaw be damned, I could not help but grin to myself as I cradled his lithe form close to my chest, looking over his messy curls and dirtied blue shirt in earnest graciousness, in inexplicable thanks to someone somewhere that Jasper was alright...and that he needed me so much in this moment.

This now, holding him...was worth whatever blows I had received from those men and more.

"...Ed...Edward...?" Jasper whispered against my collarbone, his melodic voice practically making love to my name, and I fought to contain the shudder that ripped through me a result.

A small smile graced my lips as I watched as his heavenly blue eyes looked up into my awaiting green ones, my previously broken heart mending itself upon seeing those eyes, those lips, that face, again.

"...I gotcha..." I repeated simply yet warmly to the sweet, perfect man in my arms, before I began walking towards the same alley from which I had come, heading back to my house, back to where I knew I could take care of him...where I could love him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Edward's POV_

"Maria...!" I shouted as one of the high-reaching, double doors to my home closed behind me as I entered the Masen Manor, standing inside the grand, dark-wooden foyer as I waited for my maid to show herself.

"...yes...coming, Edwa..." my maid announced her arrival as she hustled to the foyer from the kitchen ahead, her words stopping short as she beheld the bundle in my arms.

Jasper had fallen asleep some time ago during my trek back here, his bright, sunny head lying against my shoulder and his hands resting on his stomach.

"He needs a room...bring hot water and fresh towels...now, Maria!" I ordered my gaping maid, knowing that the middle-aged woman with long, dark hair had to have been genuinely shocked to see me with anyone at all, even if he was passed out.

If there had to be one person who knew as much about my idiosyncratic quirks and lengthy bouts of depression I went through, one person who knew more or less exactly how to handle me during those difficult times, it was my Spanish-speaking maid, Maria.

She asked no questions, demanded no answers...and she was my only friend in the world as a result.

"Right away!" Maria stated before hurrying off towards the east end of the Manor where most of our spare guest rooms were, my steps following her own at a much slower pace in the same direction.

The house was kept dim at this hour, where shallow lamplight illuminated the red-carpeted staircase that lead up to the bedrooms, as I took my time walking up each step, careful not to wake my precious Jasper lying so contentedly against me.

"I hope you come to understand what I'm doing, Jazz..." I whispered down to the sleeping man in my arms, my words weighed with a certain sorrow, a certain plea for forgiveness, as I finished ascending the staircase and headed forward, paying absolutely no mind to the large, expensive paintings that decorated the richly patterned walls at either side.

"I hope you don't hate me..." I breathed, not even brave enough to speak any louder as the corner of my gaze caught sight of Maria scurrying out of one of the rooms ahead, having, no doubt, left the items I had requested inside.

"...in fact..." I continued to speak softly to him, my gaze sweeping appreciatively over his long eyelashes and straight nose, his high cheekbones and full lips that pained me more than anything in this moment while I continued to pour my heart out to him, "...I hope you...can come to love me one day..."

I walked us both into the guest room, passing by the crimson and wood furniture that matched the fabric of the walls perfectly, the modest fireplace to the right of the room offering a warm, orange glow that danced across surfaces and flirted with shadows, as I took Jasper directly to the chocolate brown and white bed on the left.

"...Edward, I have everything you asked. I also brought some pain pills and a change of clothes for him..." Maria spoke up from the doorway before moving inside and setting down the items on the oval-shaped table by the fireplace.

My scraped and bruised hands were impossibly gentle as I lain Jasper down on top of the mattress, making sure his head was comfortable amongst the silk pillows, before I ever-so leisurely trailed a few of my fingertips down his cheek, marveling at the sheer beauty of him and the fact that he was actually here with me in my home...after all the time I had spent just watching him...now...now I could touch him.

"Edward...? You don't look so good either...what happened to you and him?" Maria asked curiously as well as considerately as she stepped by my side and joined me in looking over the sleeping but obviously ruffled young man whom I had brought with me.

"His name is Jasper..." I began, not really knowing how I could explain every detail to my maid and personal friend, as I licked my dry lips and took a deep breath, "...I found him like this in the street. There were these guys and...well, you can see what happened."

"But what did you do? You got involved...?" Maria guessed correctly as she raised a finger to my sore cheek and pointed out my own bruised flesh, her dark eyes watching me patiently without a shred of judgment or criticism present in them.

I briefly met her motherly gaze before turning back to the blonde-haired, god-like man lying peacefully before us both, knowing that I should not lie to her...or to myself any longer.

"Give him anything he asks, Maria...this man...he's important to me," I instructed her, knowing that Maria was smart enough to be able to read between the lines and figure out that I had just answered her questions as well.

Proving my point, my peripheral vision noticed the small, approving smirk that curved Maria's lips as she blinked at my profile.

"As you wish, Edward," Maria agreed with what sounded like relieved joy in her words to me, before she turned on her heel and exited the room, leaving me alone with my living, breathing obsession.

It was...intoxicating to finally have him within my grasp, to have him in a place where he needed me so...as if I had finally seized my precious gem at last and would keep it with me forever...just like the monster I was.

I knew it was selfish.

I knew that I was being selfish.

But how could I not...when he was just so perfect and he held my gaze for just a fraction of second longer than he should have, and within that moment, I saw everything about him.

I saw how vulnerable Jasper really was...I saw how beautiful...I saw how much...I really loved him.

I brought up a hand, timidly reaching towards his statuesque face, wanting nothing more to slide my fingers along his sharp jaw line so I may cradle his cheek against my palm and feel his playful golden curls at my fingertips...but I could not.

I would not.

Not yet.

Almost immediately, I curled my fingers into a fist and dropped my hand back to my side, having to close my eyes and take another solid breath into my lungs.

Without thinking otherwise, I turned around and hurried out of the room, only half-turning my body around so I may grasp the golden doorknob, and that was when I hesitated.

I could feel my eager resolve crumbling fast within that doorway as my eyes remained positively glued to the ethereal beauty lain out so enticingly before me, like I was forcing myself awake from an impossibly sweet dream.

My trepidation was maddening, my fears having spiked into something unrecognizable inside of me, making me have to reject what I felt I should do, and it was with a longing expression that I cast one, last glance towards the enchanting youth lying on the spare bed before I turned my head away and silently closed the door.

I had to.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_Third Person POV_

The following day...

Blue eyes struggled to open, to push away the abundant drowsiness and welcome consciousness once again.

"...ugh...my head..." Jasper groaned to himself as he gingerly sat up where he lie, only then realizing just how soft it was where he was lying, how unfamiliar.

"Where the hell..." Jasper cursed quietly to no one, turning his curly head from side to side, only to see more and more unfamiliar objects that confused him more.

A small fireplace lie dormant across the spacious, masculine-decorated room with its cool, somber colors and furniture pieces, all of it looking expensive, all of it looking too good to be true.

"Okay...okay...don't panic..." Jasper told himself in between a few, deep breaths, as he cautiously slid his legs over the edge of the brown and white bed, placing his hands down upon the cloud-like mattress and pushing himself onto his feet.

Jasper winced upon standing up, wavering a bit, as he brought one hand to his brow, for the pounding pain behind his eye was far too wicked to merely ignore.

"Oh! I see you're up. Wonderful!" spoke an accented woman's voice from somewhere in the room, startling the southern gentlemen as he tensed the muscles in his back and dropped his hand from his face to seek out the speaker.

"God...you scared me...um...where am I? Who are you?" Jasper rambled, clasping his hands in front of his waist as he tugged a little at his soiled blue shirt.

"...I am sorry I scared you...I was only dropping by to bring you some breakfast, mijo. You must eat," the dark-skinned maid answered most of Jasper's hasty questions, as she stepped further inside the elegant room and set down a long, silver tray on top of the wooden table.

Jasper opened his mouth to speak again, but too many questions, too many words held his tongue and muddled his hurting brain, so he simply closed his mouth as he watched the maid move about the room.

"My name is Maria. I work here at the Masen Manor, " Maria explained patiently as she quickly peeked into the fireplace to make sure the fire had been completely snuffed out, followed by her hurrying passed a speechless Jasper to the bed to straighten out the wrinkled sheets.

"The...Masen Manor...?" Jasper repeated Maria's words as a question, needing clarification about exactly where he was, but then gasped aloud as he suddenly remembered reading about such a secluded place in the local newspapers, drab articles that went on about property values and had specifically displayed a picture of the castle-like mansion otherwise known as the Masen Manor.

"Yes...that is what I said," Maria spoke whilst she finished fluffing up Jasper's pillows, not entirely catching onto how Jasper had wanted her to speak more about this place, "...be sure to eat before your food gets cold...and also, there are some pills for your migraine, mijo."

Jasper blinked owlishly at the busy woman before turning towards the tray she had brought, admittedly hungry and definitely in need of the pain pills Maria had mentioned.

"Oh...thank you, ma'am..." Jasper said shyly before moving over to the oval table and sitting down at one of the two chairs present, his cobalt-colored eyes already looking graciously over the strawberry crepes, an English muffin with jam and honey with fruit on the side, a steaming cup of coffee coupled with a tall glass of water.

Jasper first picked up the two white pills and popped them into his mouth, chasing them down with the water that he gulped down to the last drop, much to Maria's delight to see her and Edward's unknown guest doing so well.

"Alright, I shall leave you to eat in peace..." Maria announced her exit as she smoothed out the front of her white apron with her hands for a moment, trying to hide her smirk at the way Jasper was already digging into the cream-topped crepes she had made earlier that morning, "...if you need anything, I'll be..."

"Wait...um..." Jasper interrupted her, fixing her with his pleading eyes the color of crystallized water, as he sucked in a bit of breath for confidence in asking what he wanted to ask of her most, "...who is the master of this house? Who...brought me here?"

Maria drew in her bottom lip to try to stop her smile from spreading any further, her dark head ducking down for a moment, before she lifted her gaze back to his, her onyx eyes warm and knowing, wise and yet cunning.

"After you've finished eating, head down to the main library. It's downstairs on your right...okay now, mijo, I've got to go. You finish every bite, okay?" Maria instructed the young man with bright, hopeful eyes sitting before her, as she swiftly made her way out of the room, closing the heavy door behind her.

Jasper sat still for a minute after the maid had left, thinking over her cryptic words before his growling stomach reminded him of the delicious breakfast in front of him, prompting him to cut more pieces of his strawberry crepes.

Jasper could not help but hurry eating his sugary sweet breakfast, making sure to clean his plate as Maria had asked of him, as well as drain all of his coffee that immediately made him feel better, more alert despite his strange surroundings.

His anxiousness to follow through with Maria's instructions to go to the grand library fueled Jasper's haste in also changing into the folded clothes that had been sitting at the opposite end of the wooden table.

Jasper kicked away his greasy, muddy jeans and pulled on the pair of dark, comfortable pants that had been set out for him, his thoughts nearly spiraling out of control about what he was going to find outside of this bedroom, ranging from everything from the horribly frightful to the utterly absurd.

Jasper shrugged off his stained blue shirt and slipped on the simple white button-down shirt, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows as he preferred them and let the ends of the shirt merely hang loose, needing to head out of the door and see with his own eyes before he lost his nerve.

Feeling exponentially better in body and soul now that he was wearing fresh, clean clothes and had a full stomach to offer him clarity, Jasper squared his shoulders and strode out of the bedroom.

"...whoa..." Jasper breathed at once, his determined steps instantly stopping upon seeing the exquisite paintings that now surrounding him along the lengthy corridor.

Some reached the ceiling, some spanning several feet in length, some bordered in thick gold frames, and none of them depicted the same kind of scene, allowing for a person to experience emotion after emotion upon simply strolling down the space and gazing upon each artistry.

With bated breath and a zealous heart, Jasper viewed the paintings as he walked passed them, watching as how a classic scene from the Civil War era bordered in rich mahogany gave way to a piece of tender, pastel flowers where only seldom splashes of red made for a shocking appearance, and then onto a vibrant abstract where jagged black tones were cut through like a lifeline with a startling green trimmed in a neutral beige.

Jasper had to stop to look upon this particular painting for a moment more, able to feeling his emotions become a bit edgier just by looking at the way the swipes of black were disrupted by the loud green, as if the two personalities were in a constant battle with one another, all the while the beige could offer no opinion, no value, to his brothers.

Jasper dropped his gaze from the simple-looking but actually rather complicated piece of art that decorated these vast walls, where even the wallpaper itself looked like a masterful work done by a professional designer, as the southern-born male continued on his journey down the carpeted steps at last.

The college student had only made it about half-way down the series of stairs when he heard it.

Music.

A sluggish melody and a collection of notes not from this time were being played by some sort of device, as Jasper could just barely make out how scratchy the recording was, how classic and yet speaking of something Jasper could not identify with right away, that the music seemed to be.

He had to hear the music better, had to follow it, as it flowed from the same direction Maria had told him to go, and Jasper could feel his nerves bunching up within his body upon walking closer and closer to whatever it was that he was meant to find.

Jasper made a right turn at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes only briefly taking in the high-vaulted ceiling of the main foyer area that housed a grand, sparkling chandelier and black and white-tiled floors that accented the tasteful dark wood quite well.

Through a domed archway in the wall, Jasper headed towards the separate wing of the manor, hearing the music a bit more clearly now, as he could tell it was old-fashioned blues, a woman...singing of hard times and even harder trials with love, as the songstress bemoaned her misfortune through the slow rhythm and delayed drum beat.

Billie Holiday.

Jasper furrowed his brows upon recognizing the bittersweet lyrics that seeped from the room he now stood at the doors of, as each puzzle piece bounced around individually in his head, not making sense but also exciting him all the more because of exactly that.

Whomever this person was...he or she was...extremely sad...lonely, even.

Whomever this person was had saved his life and had opened their unbelievable home to him in the process.

Jasper swallowed hard, but knew that he was ready to venture through those doors, to know the truth.

With semi-solid nerves, Jasper slowly opened one of the double doors to the library, his air unconsciously stilling as he made sure to draw notice to himself with the noise of the doorjamb and the sounds of his feet against the hardwood flooring as he entered the room.

There, sitting quite a few yards away from him inside the deceptively spacious library, where books of all different shapes, colors, and ages lined the high-reaching walls on seemingly all sides and angles, a man sat alone in a brown leather armchair, one of his pale hands holding his lowered forehead.

The man had not noticed Jasper's arrival, giving Jasper enough time to let the ancient but powerful music wash completely over him, giving Jasper enough time to let his widened eyes sweep over the countless volumes of books that suddenly surrounded him in this octagon-shaped room where the ceiling above housed a breathtaking portrayal of Michelangelo-era renditions, each panel of paintings bordered by glistening gold and inviting incredible ambiance to such an enlightening room.

Soft pink and blue clouds swirled around figures and unmistakable scenes from the Bible in the paintings, as angels whispered in the ears of mortal men, hinting at the secrets of life and the wisdom from their Creator, as brilliant lines of gold and silver depicted whom was receiving the message and just exactly what that meant for his life.

"...um...excuse me...?" Jasper tried to politely speak above the raspy but welcoming music, able to see as the seated man had whipped his auburn-colored head up the moment the first syllable had slipped from Jasper's lips.

"...Jasper..." the snow-kissed man breathed the name as he quickly stood up from his chair, his green eyes light and dancing as they peered warmly into Jasper's face, Edward hastily turning off the record player on the table in front of him.

"...Edward? From the coffee shop...?" Jasper's features smoothed out as he recognized the attractive yet painfully quiet man that often frequented his place of work, as Jasper felt himself breathe easier as he began taking small steps inside the impressive library.

The slightest of smirks curves Edward's rose-red lips at the southern man, something Jasper did not miss as he slid his hands into his pants pockets and continued to survey the room and all the decorative items it held.

"...so...it was you, then...you took care of those guys and brought me back here...?" Jasper inquired a bit hesitantly, embarrassment flooding his words and coloring his regal cheeks a dull pink as he stared at a large, gold and brown-colored globe.

"Yes...I did," Edward admitted, his emerald eyes watching over Jasper's movements closely, before he spoke again ,"...how are you feeling?"

"...still kind of ache-y all over...the pain pills your maid gave me made my headache go away, but my body still feels like I got hit by a train, you know?" Jasper smiled from his own humor at Edward who licked his lips in thought, turning over Jasper's assessment in his calculative mind.

"So, you live here, huh? This place is amazing...is it...just you and Maria?" Jasper's next question came carefully but conversationally as he turned back towards Edward from observing the globe, his ice-blue eyes meeting a steady jade that looked far too concerned with something else, something hidden that he was not voicing.

"Jasper...I really am concerned about you..." Edward redirected their talk as he closed the small distance between them in a few strides, his eyes never wavering from Jasper's face as the latter parted his lips in protest but was cut off as Edward spoke again, "...those guys almost killed you. You should head up back to your room and rest."

"Oh...but, uh..." Jasper wished to argue with Edward's request, wanting to see more of the house, but any words that would have spoken of such an idea died in his throat upon seeing such sincerity, such critical emotion that his caretaker's gentle eyes had within them, as Edward mindlessly brought a hand up to touch Jasper's forearm.

Jasper knew the touch was coming, his breath halting in his lungs as his skin positively tingled to feel what he could almost physically feel before it happened.

However, Jasper sighed out his unfilled air as he watched as Edward swallowed remorsefully and retracted his hand, turning partially away from him with no contact occurring between them.

"I'll check on you in a few hours. Until then, you should get some more rest," Edward stated more firmly, before turning away from Jasper completely and placing a hand upon the bookshelf at his side, seeming to be troubled by something, disturbed.

Jasper looked over the sullen yet striking man with curious eyes for only a moment more, able to see Edward's obvious struggle with something, before the blonde-haired young man cleared his throat prior to replying.

"You're probably right...and...thanks, Edward...for letting me crash here...and for taking care of me. It means a lot to me..." Jasper said graciously before turning on his heel and strolling out of the library, making sure to close the door behind him.

Edward had closed his eyes upon hearing Jasper's departing words to him, able to hear the sun that always seemed to shine through his accented drawl and genuine good nature, as Edward silently prayed for strength, prayed for solace to overcome his raging mind and finally lay peace to his tumultuous emotions.

The more his thoughts swam and pulled, the more his own mind could not comprehend itself, the more withdrawn Edward could feel himself becoming.

He had wanted to touch Jasper.

He had wanted to touch him so badly, just like the night before.

He had wanted to rush to him upon first seeing him in this room...rush over and envelope him in a crushing, possessive embrace as he expressed how grateful he was that Jasper was alright.

Fear had held his steps, though.

His own self-imposed promise not to touch Jasper unless he specifically asked him to do so having also restrained him where and whence he had stood so close to him.

Edward punched the sturdy bookshelf, his eyes still closed as he now simply rested his fist against the wood grain, hating himself for the torture he was enduring, feeling pained by not giving into his less-than savory wishes and just...having him.

Jasper meant too much...he was worth so much more and should not be taken like that...for granted, or just for pleasure.

...or just because Edward was dying to capture some of that light, some of that bright hope and wonder that seemed to become that beautiful man...all for himself.

Edward would wait.

He would gain Jasper's unyielding trust.

He would wait until Jasper asked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_Edward's POV_

A few hours later...

I softly knocked on the door to Jasper's room.

No answer.

Maybe he was still asleep?

Biting a little on the inside of my cheek, I twisted the doorknob and opened the door.

The room was illuminated by the shreds of sunlight that managed to poke in through the folds of the thick, crimson drapes that covered the span of windows on the opposite wall, and it was only because of such that I was able to see Jasper lying in bed underneath the white and brown-trimmed comforter.

I breathed easier, released my cheek from my teeth, as I silently padded into the room, taking extreme care not to make any noise as I moved about.

I set down the drink I had brought for him on the oval table there, merely admiring seeing him so vulnerable yet so comfortable where he was in my home, like a sacred sight meant only for me in this moment and I let my eyes feast.

His curled, light-colored tresses were rambunctious as they were splayed this way and that amongst the silk white pillows, his upturned profile looking like God Himself had created such artistry to exist in this world, as the streams of light shimmered on his covered frame and angelic face.

I smiled at the wholesome sight, feeling totally taken by it, before I began walking back towards the door to take my leave.

"...hmm...?" Jasper murmured suddenly, inhaling deeply from his nose as his lithe body stirred until he turned his head and began slowly opening his eyes.

"It's Edward. I...brought you something to drink, if you want it," I spoke in a low, mindful voice before I continued my short venture to the door, only then turning to look upon his awakening form once again.

"Thank you...I could use something to drink," Jasper's newly awoken voice was delightfully raspy and gruff, the effect of which making me smirk stealthily at how effortlessly sexy it was, as I rested a hand along the end of the door which I kept somewhat ajar with myself standing mostly outside of the room.

"Are you feeling any better?" I asked from where I stood, watching as he gave his long arms a good stretch, the southern-born male sitting up in bed as he began maneuvering the warm blankets off of him.

"A lot better...thanks to you..." Jasper replied with a blinding smile directed to me, causing my breath to stutter inside my chest, my next question to elude me, my whole world to brighten significantly in an instant.

"...no problem," I muttered, diverting my green eyes from his positively gleaming cobalt ones as his smile naturally faded, and, instead, turned into an expression of puzzlement.

"Why are you all the way over there? You can come in, you know..." Jasper's words spoke of his confusion of my noticeable distance from him, and I hesitated in answering him.

I could not explain my real reasons as to why I could not allow myself to be near him.

I could not...scare him.

"It's best if I don't...Jasper..." I offered vaguely, hoping he would leave such a topic at that, but frowned slightly at the way my lovely angel looked disappointed with my answer.

"I don't understand..." Jasper continued innocently as he slid his delectable body off of the mattress, sparing only a moment to smooth out his white shirt with his hands, before he fixed me with his absolutely alluring gaze, "...what are you, a vampire or something...?"

His smile made me smirk, but it was hollow, as I quickly considered the notion that I might as well be.

My thoughts were disrupted as I noticed Jasper steadily walking towards me, his eyes holding me in place as he plead with me not to move, begged me with those stunning irises to let him do what he wanted.

"Jasper, please...you need to stay away from me..." I tried to say sternly, but my voice quaked underneath his raw prowess, his endless sensuality, as I watched as his luscious lips parted, the exposed tanned skin of his neck and arms all but glistening in my eyes.

"Why? You act like you're going to explode or something if I get too..." Jasper attempted to joke again, but my haste in actions stopped him short.

It only took one, larger than normal step and I was a hairsbreadth away from him, my mind stone cold silent as I reached both of my hands up and grasped Jasper's shoulders, walking him backwards a few paces from my sheer intensity alone.

"I told you to stay away..." I growled, my eyes narrowing as Jasper's widened in progressive understanding, as I freed one of my hands from his shoulders and brought it to the side of his face, firmly cradling his jaw and turning his chin at a different angle whilst I glared at him with so much breaking need, so much fucking want, "...don't you understand...don't you understand what I'll do to you if you don't."

Jasper's breath audibly hitched at my words, the blue of his eyes piercing right through me as I continued to roughly inspect and appreciate his soul-crushing beauty, the power of holding it in my hands nearly being my end, before I forced my eyes to close and took a deep, clarifying breath, reigning in my feuding desires at last.

"Dinner is at seven. I'll send Maria to come get you when it's time, " I voiced calmly, my eyes still closed as I eased my hands away from his body and face, feeling the saner pieces of myself reforming again, allowing me to think more clearly as well as regret what I had just done.

Jasper said nothing as I turned around and exited his room, but I could feel his eyes burning against my back whilst I retreated.

I could almost hear his unasked questions as I closed the door.

I could almost taste his fear of me.

I hated it.

I fucking hated what I was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Third Person POV_

That evening...

Edward sat with his hands resting uncomfortably atop the long, extravagantly decorated dinner table that spanned majestically across most of the length of the ballroom-sized dining room.

The wide, white-stone fireplace cackled soothingly at Edward's side along the maroon walls, as arrangements of tasteful white and red flowers and silver-plated food had been placed neatly in front of the brooding male.

Edward sighed, glaring passed the elegant bundles of flowers and sparkling glass at the dishes that had been set out at the opposite end of the table for his guest.

Edward knew that it was only a few minutes or so after seven, but he refused to move from his spot until he was joined by Jasper at last.

Edward refrained from licking in between his teeth, the knowledge that the soup appetizer was cooling rapidly right in front of him all but plaguing his mind.

Suddenly, one of the doors to the dining room swung open, nearly banging into the adjacent wall, as Edward's loyal maid as well as his sweet, personal angel rushed inside the grand room, the both of them appearing to have ran a bit.

"Sir, I apologize for how late he is. It was entirely my fault, I assure you. I insisted that he wear a jacket to dinner, so we had to go through all..." Maria began speaking to his employer, knowing that her words were not needed in the least by the way Edward's whole face seemed to brighten with relief and nearly tangible joy as he focused totally on Jasper.

"No harm has been done, Maria..." Edward directed his words to his wise maid but continued to stare at the honey-blonde male in the room, Jasper clad in a charmingly simple coal-black blazer over his white shirt, already making the sullen mood of the large, beautiful large room feel different to Edward, something better, as he stood only a matter of feet away at the other end of the table.

Maria hushed up immediately as she cast Jasper a knowing smirk before turning around and quietly taking her leave, just as Edward's low, timbre of a voice sounded again.

"Please...sit, Jasper," Edward cordially offered as he extended a hand a little out in front of him, motioning towards the only other high-backed chair, cushioned in the same, solemn purple-red hue that matched the theatre-like walls on either side of them.

"Thanks, Edward...wow...this is...amazing...I'm starving, " Jasper smiled, blushing modestly, as he slid into his chair, his blue eyes glinting in the firelight around them as the southern-born gentleman could not help but let his gaze sweep over such pristine dinnerware and decor that was set out so perfectly before him, as if he and his caretaker were royalty in a different time.

Edward smiled at Jasper's words, feeling endeared as well as entranced by them, as the two men politely placed their cloth napkins atop their laps, ready to begin dining on such a vibrant feast.

"You're in luck, then. Maria makes the best avocado cream soup...it's uh...one of my favorites," Edward admitted, his words a bit bashful around the edges as he kept his gaze light and appreciative on Jasper from across the table.

"Mmm...sounds good," Jasper commented with a sunlight-inspired grin, picking up his spoon, and dipping it into the thick, light-green colored broth sprinkled sparsely with fresh cilantro and chopped tomato, "...how long have you and Maria been...here?"

Edward was not surprised too much by Jasper's question about the only other person occupying such a vast properly with him, as he silently drank the soup from his spoon and then lowered the silver utensil inside the bowl once more.

"It seems like it's been forever sometimes...definitely since I can remember," Edward somewhat answered Jasper's question, the both of them eating more of their soup before either spoke again, the quietness of the atmosphere just as comfortable as it was intense.

"I can understand that, I guess, " Jasper responded with a meaning all his own within his words, as he set down his spoon so he may carefully retrieve his crystal goblet of ice water, "...so, do you have any questions for me...?"

Jasper's playful tone made Edward smile his naturally crooked smile that reached his eyes, as the older of the two men mirrored Jasper's actions and picked up his water goblet so he may take a sip.

"I always have things I want to know about you, if that's what you are asking..." Edward provided a little more seriously than Jasper's tone had been, Edward's smile still in place, as he eyed the way the college student seemed intrigued by his words thus far.

"Yeah? Like what...? Go ahead...anything you want to know," Jasper nodded his curly head as he reaffirmed his own words to the pale, bronze-haired male before him with eyes he could not figure out...

...the man who impressed Jasper to no end...and who confused him even more so.

Edward set down his water.

"How's the soup?" Edward asked simply, watching as Jasper immediately quirked up an eyebrow at such a non-issue question being asked firstly of him.

Edward felt his heart beat a little easier inside his chest at the way Jasper laughed heartily at his mock question, the southern male seeming to light up the already colorful room with the way his lovely smile beamed for what seemed like miles, ions, coupled with how his closed eyes seemed like they were smiling right along with him.

Edward licked his parted lips, not aware of how his eyes had become hooded with awe, with wonder and graciousness and desire from such a sight.

"The soup is wonderful. You were right...Maria really knows her stuff," Jasper replied, his heaven-sent smile still in place as he opened his eyes and cocked his angelic blonde head to a side while he spoke.

"She most certainly does..." Edward's words sounded far-away, not at all committed to ground level as the man with guarded but beautiful emerald eyes continued to watch Jasper, able to reach higher into the clouds because of it.

"Uh..." Edward forced himself out of his heaven-bound reverie, lowering his eyes to his and Jasper's personal banquet once more, as he fished for another, more serious question, something that would make Jasper speak awhile to him, "...so...what are you studying in college?"

Jasper blinked happily as he smirked, his attention directed to another plate on his right for only a second before he answered.

"Music composition," Jasper answered with a bit of a shy smile, his knife and fork cutting the herb-rubbed veal into bite-sized pieces alongside the fresh pasta medley that looked just as colorful as it smelled amazing to the college student, "...I love all kinds of music...I play a lot of instruments...have for years...it's always been like a second nature to me, you know?"

Edward could hear his mind instantly relating to Jasper's words as he chewed his food and listened to his guest, his thoughts, however, finding something else entirely to consider as his 'second nature'...something decidedly not so pure.

"Sounds like you got it all figured out, then, Jasper..." Edward cast his playfully narrowed eyes into ensnaring ocean-blue ones, feeling beyond pleased whence he saw Jasper mildly frown at his purposefully incorrect assumption.

"Well...not exactly. I still don't know what I'm going to do for work when I graduate. I'm not sure if I'll need to move, or what..." Jasper trailed off for effect, granting the answers Edward had been seeking as the latter male sipped his water thoughtfully.

"Are you lonely?" Edward asked bluntly but not without compassion in his tone, his gaze following even the slightest change in Jasper's expression as the latter male first appeared surprised, but quickly morphed into a look like he had somehow been found out, like his darkest secret had just been placed on display for him.

"How...did you know...? Am I that easy to read...?" Jasper asked with thick emotion that dripped darkly from his words, his sapphire orbs pleading with Edward to tell him the truth but to also be gentle with such a sensitive topic.

"Not at all," Edward said, his happiness having to be kept well at bay as he merely toyed with such delicate strings connected to something so solid, so much more real than any of his observations, within the one man whom he craved the body and soul of so fiercely that it bordered on bringing him physical pain to be felt, "...in fact...I know your smiles are...mostly real. You smile at jokes and with people all the time...you also smile at pain, when you don't know what else to do...I've come to...admire that in you."

Jasper was silent, thoughtfully soundless as he let the meaning, the true realizations of Edward's words, sink into his flesh and mind.

Edward had been speaking of his strength, his own personal brand of strength that no one else saw or took the time to acknowledge that he had.

This one odd man had somehow noticed the selfless ways in which Jasper dealt with the hardships in his life.

Edward had noticed it and he appreciated it.

Edward smirked wickedly behind his fork as he ate another bite of the veal and pasta, trying not to stare too much at Jasper's picturesque features as they seemed to move right along with firelight, as the older male simply relished in how much woe and thoughts and questions and tinges of hope Jasper clearly struggled with at this moment.

"That's maybe the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, Edward...I really do...appreciate you telling me that you admire me," Jasper said with kind eyes that were quick to lower back down to the plates in front of him, his mild embarrassment at receiving such a staggering compliment completely heart-warming to the bronze-haired male at the opposite end of the table.

Edward nodded at Jasper's gratitude, knowing at the forefront of his mind that his compliments and expressions of appreciation of Jasper ran so much deeper than what he had spoken of, but he also knew that those would have to wait for another time.

"Jasper, I have a proposition for you," Edward began with a much firmer tone in his voice than their lighthearted back and forth, as he calmly set his water down, bringing his elbows to rest on top of the table and lacing his long, graceful fingers together as he looked at his guest critically, his mannerisms more like he was about to explain a business deal than anything else.

Jasper swallowed his mouthful of the pan-seared veal, absolutely in love with the spicy herbs that coated the tender morsels of meat, giving eat bite a roaring zest to explode through his senses and seduce his taste buds, his wide, blue eyes locked onto Edward's serious stare as the older male awaited a response.

"A proposition? What do you mean...?" Jasper asked but not demanded of his caretaker, as he ate another tangle of the garlic butter pasta and vegetables, savoring the rich smoothness of the flavors that only served to accent the spice of the veal as well.

"I mean..." Edward stated, lowering his hands from his chin, as he chose his next words carefully, "...I want you to stay here, Jazz...with me. If you're worried about missing work, I can pay you more than what you would have made for every day you spend here."

Jasper's fork clinked noisily on the plate, his mouth open in shock.

"Wait, wait...wait a minute...you want me...to...live here? And you'll even pay me for it?" Jasper reiterated, obviously quite flabbergasted at what his situation with this strange man had become, dazzling disbelief written all over Jasper's perfect features as he gaped at Edward from across the table.

"In a manner of speaking...yes," Edward answered flatly, not at all bothered or hesitant in clarifying exactly what he was offering to the younger male, "...so...what do you say?"

Jasper licked his parted lips, blinking a few, solid times before his eyes drifted to the nearby fireplace, the college student needing to think Edward's words over, needing to think about what this would mean for him.

Edward saw the way Jasper's eyes seemed to transform into a longing stare towards the fire.

That was when he knew Jasper was thinking about the money.

Edward then saw the way Jasper's jaws stiffened slightly.

That was when he knew Jasper was thinking about the people he would not see as much.

Finally, Edward saw Jasper swallow hard, his eyes firm but determined as they blinked away from the stones and fire and sought out his gaze once more.

That was when he knew Jasper would say yes.

"Alright...my answer is yes..." Jasper announced, his eyes bearing heavily into Edward's from across the decorated table, as he continued, "...I don't know why...other than I really could...use the money...but I want to stay here with you. I want to find out more about you and this house, and..."

Edward smiled at Jasper's confession, knowing that it probably had not been easy for the college student to agree to something so bizarre possibly under possibly a bit of duress, as the master of the Masen Manor picked up his eating utensils again and began cutting into his own portion of veal.

"It's settled, then," Edward declared coolly and concisely, his pleased smirk unable to disappear from his pale features as he stabbed the sharp prongs of the fork into a piece of the veal and lifted it to his mouth, taking his time in sliding it passed his lips and over his tongue, as Edward savored this tangy bite amongst all the others.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Edward's POV_

Several days later...

"Edward...I have a question for you..." Jasper preambled his inquiry to me as he and I strolled the vast gardens outside of the manor, an area bustling and peaceful at the same time with richly colored flowers and magnificent statues nestled in between sky-touching greenery.

Besides cooking, it was Maria's passion to tend to these gardens.

She had never said it out loud, but I had considered that perhaps my maid was so keen on planting the brightest of flowers and trimming the bushes to near works of contemporary art was her way of trying to cheer me up.

"Yes? Was is it?" I prompted Jasper to continue, my hands folded behind my back as he and I walked deliberately slowly passed a beautifully crafted wooden gazebo, my senses able to pick up on his slight hesitation as he kept his eyes on everything else but me.

"Well...this might not be any of my business...but..." Jasper stalled once more as he eyed an exquisite stone statue of a galloping horse, the fine detailing of the flowing horse's mane and tail making the idle fixture appear more than real, "...why haven't you let me into the west wing of the house? I mean...I see you go there all the time, and..."

"I'm sorry, Jasper..." I politely cut my guest off as he spoke, our steps never halting as we approached a small fountain that poured water over three, wide tiers before pooling at the round bottom base, "...but that area is off limits. No one...not even Maria sometimes...can go back there. It's nothing personal, I assure you..."

Jasper smirked weakly at my answered, before saying, "I know...it's cool; I was just wondering..."

"So, Jazz..." I took the lead of the conversation, feeling it in my gut that I wanted to see Jasper smile a real smile at me as soon as possible, needing to know that he was not upset at me in any way, "...I took the liberty of arranging a small surprise for you when we get back inside the house. I...think you'll like it."

Jasper's ocean-blue eyes shot to mine, a beaming smile spreading across his handsome face as he and I stopped walking so we may talk more about this.

"Really? A surprise for me? Edward! What is it? You've got to tell me...what is it, what is it?" Jasper rambled with excited, wondrous energy, delighting me and making me chuckle as I lifted up a patient finger to him.

"Nope, not telling...you're just going to have to see," my joyous words were riddled with my remaining laughter, something that felt a little foreign but extremely fulfilling to me.

Jasper relaxed his smile, still holding my gaze with his lovely sapphire eyes, as he unconsciously stepped closer to me, his cherry blossom-colored lips looking almost too perfect, too supple right now to resist as I merely watched his movements.

"Edward...you didn't have to get me anything...but since you did...I can't thank you enough," Jasper's southern drawl melted through me, warming me to my very core, as I held my breath and watched as he gingerly lifted one of his hands to my arm.

I could not move away this time.

I had promised myself that I would wait until Jasper wanted to touch me...this was finally the moment.

I noticeably shivered once I felt Jasper's strong fingers touch my bare forearm, my extraordinarily beautiful guest sliding his hand a little higher up my arm as he gave me a light squeeze to emphasize his words of thanks.

"No thanks are n-necessary, Jasper...I wanted to do this for you," I struggled to voice coherently, already feeling a bit light-headed from how soft yet rugged Jasper's hands felt against my skin, how much like a kiss from an ethereal deity his gentle caresses alone felt like to me.

Jasper's smile became more shy, more subtle and quirkier as he ducked his curly, blonde head down for a moment, before lifting his devastatingly cobalt eyes to me again, his every gesture of humility and happiness, of being coy yet excited at the same time, absolutely fascinating me.

"Come on...let me show you," I offered smoothly, genuinely in love with how joyful Jasper looked right now, as if he could barely contain his happiness with the world and...with me, as I angled my head back towards the manor, a knowing smirk curving my lips at him.

X

"Alright...just a few more steps...perfect," I directed Jasper with my words, the blonde male having closed his eyes a while ago as per my instructions, as I now stood beside him in a room I knew Jasper had not seen before.

"Jasper..." I whispered into his ear, trailing my eyes down his chiseled jaw line, across his neck and just above where his collarbone peeked out from the top of his shirt, my body positively tingling with being so close to him like this without touching him, "...you can open your eyes now."

Jasper obeyed my words and opened his lovely eyes, sky-blue widening immediately as he turned around his place a few times, a vision of his bouncing, gold curls and his outstretched fingers swirling gracefully to me as he peered at the vast collection of displayed instruments that lined the dark-brown walls and cluttered over every surface that the many shelves and tables that this circular room housed.

I smiled and tilted my copper-colored head to a side as I heard a couple of unfinished words fall from Jasper's opened mouth, my personified obsession having to lift his head towards the top of the walls and peek around corners of tables in order to see as much of the varying assortments of instruments and items I had packed into this room, things that I had saved over the years.

"...Edward...how did you...oh my God...where did all of these come from?" Jasper asked, astounded as he trotted forward a few more steps towards the nearest wall, his hands coming up to trail over one of the Gibson Les Paul Classic electric guitars hanging neatly on the wall beside many others of the same caliber.

"From here and there...all over really...throughout all my travels, I could never bring myself to throw away anything I obtained while I was in those places..." I explained as I stepped to his side once more, watching as he touched lightly over the large African drum that sat on the floor but reached his waist.

"...and this one?" Jasper asked curiously, his eyes appreciating the instruments' designs, their unique cultures, the fact that I had gotten them all from their places of origin, and that that feat had taken many, many years.

"Nigeria...it's called a Bata...the people in this one village made it for me," I answered patiently, lowering my eyes to a few other drums, some smaller that rested on shelves, that I had gotten from across the African continent.

"Edward...this is so...unbelievably awesome...I mean...this is like a dream...my own heaven...!" Jasper exclaimed, whirling around and dashing off towards another direction in the room that was filled with more instruments, more artifacts, more of my life.

"I'm glad you think so...because, I wanted to give you this room. Everything in here is yours to do with as you please," I revealed my true surprise at last, my words making Jasper turn away from the ancient and ill-tuned harpsichord sitting on a long table as he faced me once again, his precious lips parted in shock.

I smiled at his stunned silence, before having to tear my eyes away from his flawless form presented so enticingly to me, briefly wetting my lips with my tongue as I felt my nerves catch up to me, tangling and making me become more and more nervous, as I studied the wall to my right.

"So...I'm glad you like it...I wasn't sure if..." my words stopped the moment I felt something solid and warm slam into me, halting my brain and all of my coherent thoughts, and I blinked stupidly while I forced myself to recognize what had happened.

Jasper had his long, strong arms wrapped around me, his awe-inspiring face nestled against the side of my neck, letting my sensitive skin feel his soft puffs of air whilst he breathed, as he hugged me close to him for what seemed like a wonderful eternity.

"Thank you, Edward...thank you so much...this means...the world to me..." Jasper murmured against my skin, his words, like a sacred blessing, making me tremble slightly as I gingerly raised my hands to his back, and ever-so gently rested them along his shoulder blades.

My touch to his broad back was like that of a feather trailing along a cool summer breeze, barely there but just as present and comforting, as I fought not to be any firmer with him.

"...you're welcome," I answered, my words were kept hushed, intimate, as I relished in the feel of his chest pressed so deliciously against mine, his arms holding onto me so tightly as if he would die should he lessen in the least, and it was with my heart in my throat that I slid my hands to his shoulders.

With slow, leisured movements, I inched Jasper back away from me, him having to release his iron grip on the back of my shirt as he let his hands trail heavily over either of my arms as we parted, my eyes anxious to see his startling blue once more.

However, upon seeing Jasper's gorgeous eyes half-lidded with forbidden emotion, with nearly tangible desire and want glinting through their cobalt depths at me, my breath caught painfully in my chest, my hands stilling on his shoulders, and I suddenly felt a twinge of fear spike through me.

I hurriedly swallowed hard and dropped my hands to my sides, taking a step away from the enchanting male before me, as I cleared my throat and hoped that it would be enough to dissipate whatever time-freezing trance he and I had placed ourselves in, as I forced my mouth to speak.

"I should...get going...I'll leave you to explore in here...and...uh...I'll see you later...I'm glad you like it," I rushed to explain, my eyes staring at the floor the whole time I spoke, but it still felt like I should be inside this room, my feet not wanting to turn my body around and leave Jasper just yet.

"Edward...wait..." Jasper voiced meekly, questions already brimming in his saying of my name, and I could feel his eyes on my face, searching for something, anything, that might get him closer...

I knew I should be walking away right this second.

I knew I shouldn't...

I lifted my gaze up and directed my worried, emerald orbs directly into his blue ones, noticing the slight surprise that I was still in the room with him present in his immaculate features, as I waited timidly for his next reply.

Jasper hesitated for only a fraction of a minute before speaking.

"Why...won't you let me...?" he began quite vaguely, but I knew exactly what he was asking, what he wanted to know of me and my strange necessity to keep some distance from him.

My concerned expression turned into one of grief, of failure, and I hated what I was about to say to him, knowing that my next words would solve nothing.

"It's complicated..." I said ruefully, my shoulders having dropped a bit as I sighed out the rest of my air, my thoughts running rampant and yet as silent as a graveyard within my mind at the same time, as snippets of memories poked and prodded at me at lightening speed as to why I acted this way, why I wanted something so dearly but could not allow myself to have it without some kind of consequence set in place.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_Third Person POV_

Eight days later...

"_...ARGH!"_

Jasper stilled the fork going to his mouth, his jaw stiffening as he fixed Maria with his worried, wide eyes, knowing that she must have heard the noise as well.

"Maria...what was that just now...? I mean...you heard it, too...right?" Jasper asked with an incredulous look on his face, watching in mild disbelief as Maura seemed not to be bothered in the least by the strange occurrence.

The two of them were currently sitting outside on the back patio, surrounded by cheerful potted flowers and elegant greenery, while eating Maria's homemade quiche and enjoying the bright, crystal-clear afternoon.

"Do not worry about it, mijo...it's just Edward going through another...tough time. He will be alright; you'll see..." Maria explained calmly to the confused and still horridly concerned southern male before her, the both of them still able to hear some rough syllables of curses and shouts coming from inside the manor whilst they ate.

X

Meanwhile...inside one of the dimly illuminated rooms located in the west wing...

"God...God fucking damnit...URGH!" Edward roared as he slammed his fists through another one of his great paintings, the canvas almost as tall as he was, as he swung and swung his arms again, desiring solely to tear the fabric and wooden fixture into the tiniest of shreds.

Bits of the thick canvas flew in random directions as Edward destroyed the painting he had just finished; Edward, clad in only a pair of black pants, not caring at all that he was covered in paint that marked and colored all over his pale torso and chiseled face.

Edward was breathing hard, his face as unreadable as stone save for the fuel-doused fire that blazed behind his green eyes, as he now simply gazed at the tattered remains of what used to be an artistic expression.

"...can't get his eyes right...I can't fucking..." Edward wailed once more, kicking with his bare feet at the destroyed work of art, the blues and golds of the close-up portrait smearing across his pant leg, as he kept his hands balled into tight fists at his sides.

"ARGH!" Edward growled loudly, scrubbing his paint-smudged hands across his face and through his hair, before dropping his arms again and taking a deep breath, feeling his soaring rage subside at last due to mental fatigue, as he spared his surroundings a critical glance around.

Paintings on top of paintings were stacked against the walls, bunched in corners, some still unfinished and sitting atop easels, as Edward had long since kept the huge windows inside this room heavily covered, letting in only sparse light to sate his swinging moods.

All of his newest paintings...all of them...were of Jasper, depicting him in some way.

Across the room, in a variety of stages of completion, Jasper had been painted again and again, the same pose or feel to the painting never replicated twice, as Edward let his gaze roam just over how he saw the blonde-haired man in his eyes.

One painting was of a close-up of Jasper's slightly turned profile, his eyes staring warmly at anyone who dared to look his way, as his skin had been kept white, his hair a striking yellow, and his eyes the deepest sapphire shade Edward could create.

It was simple and it was powerful, capturing Jasper's endearing nature and stunning features as his eyes were specifically kept the most outstanding color of in the whole picture, just like Edward always saw when he looked upon him.

Another depicted Jasper as an angel, his nude body stretching gracefully to the heavens as his barely-visible wings helped him to reach his goal, every plane of Jasper's body kept cloud-like and nearly blurred, as if Jasper was actually a part of the rolling skies behind him, as if he was of something ethereal and not of this world.

The final painting amongst the masses was of the southern-born man doing his job at the coffee shop, his street clothes painted with almost painstaking detail to the way Jasper would wear his crinkled sleeves rolled up to his elbows, or the way this one strand of curled hair would always fall into his eyes as he looked down and smiled at the customers he was tending to.

Jasper's hands were delicate yet strong as they set down cups and saucers on the glass-topped, wrought-iron table outside of the cafe', something Edward had dedicated hours to getting just right, just like how he knew them to be in real life.

Edward stared at that one the longest, knowing that it had only been a short time ago whence he had thought that that would be the only way he would ever see this man...from a distance, simply admiring him.

Edward sniffed and turned his head, bringing the back of his dirtied wrist up to his chin and wiping away the dull moisture there, finally feeling part of the earth again and not so caught up in his obsessions, his madness, as he began stepping away from the center of the room and towards the door.

X

Later that night...

Jasper turned on his other side in his four-poster bed, his eyes open and alert as he was unable to sleep a wink as he could practically feel his mind racing relentlessly with memories of the strange occurrences that had happened earlier in the day.

Jasper sighed, feeling frustrated and tired of being so, as he recalled how Maria had told him not to worry about anything, that everything would be alright.

For some reason, Jasper could not leave his worries alone, could not accept just merely waiting for everything to becoming okay again...if that was even possible.

Jasper flopped back down on his back, staring at the ornately designed white ceiling, shadows nearly coating such a bright color in complete black from the late hour, as the blonde-haired male felt his muscles tense as he slowly began to make a decision.

"I can't stand this...not knowing if he's okay or not..." Jasper whispered to himself, before kicking the thick comforter and silk sheets off of his body, revealing his long, toned legs and slender waist, as he practically threw himself off of the huge mattress.

Jasper could not calm down, could not make his energy dissipate, as his thoughts told him to go through with his ambitions, to not stop now...and it was with a gripping anticipation in his gut that Jasper strode to the door wearing only his black boxers and exited the room.

It was eerily dark within the manor, making the paintings on the wall ghoulishly void of the color Jasper knew to be there, as Jasper remained just as silent as his surroundings and padded down the corridor.

"...should have brought a shirt...or a robe or something..." Jasper murmured to himself, perhaps needing to hear the sound of his own voice so he would not be deterred from the dreadfully impending quiet, as he wrung his hands together and reached the end of the corridor, knowing to take the stairs to the left so he may reach his destination.

Jasper froze.

Something creaked...

"...stop freaking out...this house is mostly made up of wood...of course it's going to make sounds...it's probably really old..." Jasper reasoned with himself, trying to reign in his frazzled nerves before he lost his will completely to see his mission through.

"...really should have worn a robe..." Jasper continued to say aloud as he kept moving towards the lone suite that wrapped around one corner of the Masen Manor, knowing from previous conversations with Maria that it was Edward's private quarters.

Jasper swallowed hard, able to vividly recall every time Edward had purposefully moved away from him or had made certain not to touch him in any way whence they had been together, and such thoughts made Jasper slow his movements as he reached for the golden doorknob.

On the other hand, Jasper could also remember just how fiercely Edward had looked into his eyes and across his soul in that one moment when Edward had let his guard down and finally touched him, really touched him, when he had taken Jasper's face in his hands and gazed upon him so intently.

No one had ever looked at the blue-eyed male that way...not with that kind of emotion.

Edward had looked pained and wanting at the same time, like he was hurting so badly but could not utter a word of it aloud as he could only plead with his eyes as he secretly wished to devour him.

Jasper knew that he had been intrigued ever since seeing that in him.

No longer feeling any tension, any fear of repercussions, Jasper turned the doorknob and soundlessly entered the elongated bedroom that stretched beyond his normal range of vision, Jasper holding his breath all the while.

Blanketed in a darkness now comforting to Jasper's eyes, only dull lamplight illuminated Edward's forlorn but handsome face where he lie atop his remarkably lavish bed, the Masen heir looking distraught and torn as he stirred lightly amongst the murky sheets.

Jasper frowned sympathetically, his eyebrows creasing, as he slowly padded closer to the resting master of the house, able to see that Edward's sleep had not come easy to him from the expression on his pale, exquisite face, as Edward briefly turned his head from side to side.

The southern male recognized that he may be overstepping boundaries, knew that he might be met with Edward's fury the following morning for such a bold move, but at this moment, at this solemn hour, Jasper could not bring himself to care.

He wanted to do this...somehow he knew that Edward would not get angry with him, that no repercussions would follow – somehow he just knew that this could finally act as a signal for the two of them to genuinely start getting closer to one another.

Jasper wanted to trust Edward, wanted to touch him and be touched by him, to have Edward feel his warmth and experience comfort from it, and the blonde-haired male carefully climbed up onto the expansive mattress beside the slumbering redhead.

Jasper slid his legs underneath the satin-smooth sheet that was draped over Edward's chest, the southern gentleman getting more and more comfortable as he inched closer to his caretaker, mindful not to jostle him in any way as he sank into the pliant pillows and cloud-like mattress, blue eyes never leaving Edward's face as he did so.

Jasper let out a content sigh, feeling his shoulders and back being cradled diligently by the pillow-topped mattress and the duvet at his feet, before Jasper turned on his side to face Edward, his eyes already feeling much heavier with the need to rest as he gazed appreciatively at the older male.

Edward looked truly mesmerizing in the shallow, golden light beside them, his bronze-colored hair looking like flaming embers against his milk-white skin, like marble carved to infinite perfection, and the sight of Edward totally vulnerable and in touch with so much peace brought Jasper his own solace to be felt.

Jasper smirked tiredly as Edward turned to lie on his side as well, his lovely face only a few inches away from his guest's as Jasper watched as Edward breathed easier, his features calm and still as he rested deeply now, and the younger male could not help but scoot across the remaining distance that separated them.

Jasper hummed quietly in heaven-sent pleasure as he buried his face in Edward's naked chest, gently resting a hand along the solid grooves of muscle there, as Jasper closed his eyes and inhaled Edward's light, masculine scent, enjoying such a sacred moment happening between them.

Jasper smiled lightly as he pressed more of his cheek against Edward's chest, able to feel the green-eyed male's pleasant scent and presence offer indescribable relaxation to his fading senses, as if Edward was just the antidote he needed for his mind to calm and his soul to settle, as he finally felt a wonderful sleep begin to claim him as well.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_Edward's POV_

The next morning...

Sweetly letting go of my hold on a blissful slumber, one filled with gently whispered dreams of a joy I had not really known in my life, I opened my eyes and felt my lungs fill with air, letting my senses start to come back to me.

I could feel him there beside me before I saw him; all at once, I could feel his warm presence and smooth skin...I could feel his vitality and the change in the atmosphere it made around me.

Jasper remained asleep where he lie in my bed, his golden curls made messy from a night of sleep, as his absolutely stunning face was kept close to mine on the pillows.

I unconsciously licked my dry lips, my jade-colored eyes transfixed on his peaceful features, angelic and perfect and every kind of beautiful that I had ever tried to look for in this world, as I noticed that he had one arm draped loosely around my waist, as if Jasper needed to touch me in some way in order to obtain such recuperative sleep.

His torso was bare and open to my wandering gaze, as I visually traced the subtle lines of his collarbone, his delectably broad chest and graceful neck that had me practically dizzy with need.

Perhaps it was due to the early morning hour, perhaps it was because I had just woken up and was quite unable to think as clearly as I could have later on in the day...or perhaps it was solely because Jasper's melancholy beauty, his silent seduction of me happening right now, was far too mesmerizing for any mere mortal to resist for a moment longer.

I could not help myself, my inner monster being wholly taken in and pacified by such dreams, such pure romantic thoughts, and I carefully removed his arm from me so that I may ease Jasper to lie down on his back.

Fluidly, never breaking contact with him, I climbed on top of my lovely angel, placing slow, savoring kisses across Jasper's cheek and down his throat, feeling my mind being graciously quiet as my soul soared, flourishing at last with my doing what I have only wished to do with this gorgeous man for months after watching him.

Jasper hummed as he stirred, his eyes remaining closed as he brought up his hands to my shoulders, having to feel his way there with his fingertips, as I trailed my kisses lower to his chest, pressing them faster unto his tanned skin as I felt him begin to subtly writhe in pleasure under me.

"...Edward...ohh...mmn..." Jasper's purred in a voice made only in a whisper to me, his darkened eyes opening just barely as he squeezed a little more firmly at my shoulders, providing me with the encouragement that I needed to continue my petal-soft ministrations to his god-like body.

I kissed his toned abdomen one more time before bringing out my tongue and tracing intricately in between the lines of muscle there, tasting his clean, sweetened flesh at last and moaning at the white-hot euphoria it brought me, as I kept my auburn head lowered to his body and relished in feeling him scratching his nails down my arms.

"...mmn...Ed...Edward...G-God..." Jasper struggled to voice solidly, his abdomen muscles flexing and relaxing as I teased them with my lips and tongue, running just the tips of my lips across his sensitive skin before dragging the flat of my tongue heavily along the same path, knowing that it would make his flesh tingle with uncontrollable desire as I gripped my hands onto his sides to keep him steady.

"Haa...Christ, Edward...ohh...feels so good...feels like I'm...m-melting..." Jasper cooed in his southern drawl made more legato as he stretched his statuesque body this way and that, his hands pawing amiably at my forearms before moving down to my hands that still held fast onto his hips, his fingers squeezing at my fingers, asking me without actually doing so to keep going.

"...mmm...hmm..." I hummed at his unique taste that exploded across my mind and corrupted every last ounce of me, my senses pleasantly overridden with everything Jasper had to offer to me like this– the smoothness of his skin, the truly addictive flavor of his perfect flesh that sang on my tongue, the absolutely arousing sounds that left his parted lips again and again while I did this to him.

I could feel Jasper's growing erection beneath his black boxers touching my chest as he panted more harshly above me; I could feel the way Jasper wanted to arch his slender body from the maddening pleasure I was giving to him, and I took my time in slowly closing my lips around one of his hipbones and suckling at his flesh as I slid my fingers down his waist and around the edge of his silk boxers.

"...haa...Edward...please...w-wait...you don't have to...I mean...Jesus...I want you to...so bad...but...mmn..." Jasper's words tumbled out of his mouth in between his pants for air, his thoughts to me ending abruptly, however, as I already slipped his boxers down just enough so his long, leaking cock sprang free and bounced lightly against his lower abdomen.

I winced as if in pain, perhaps my soul truly was experiencing some sort of ache at the sight of so much unrivaled beauty, such effortless appeal and sensuality and flawlessness, that it pulled a gruff wince from my throat as I briefly tugged my bottom lip in between my teeth.

"...Edward..." Jasper breathed, his chest heaving with his breaths as he reached for me, "...kiss me...please..."

Barely a thought passed through my mind upon hearing such a request, as I urgently flung my weight forward and slammed our lips together, already feeling my hazed happiness heightening a hundred fold from finally feeling his precious lips against mine, both of us demanding as well as acquiescing in our movements with one another, making up an enthralling phenomenon of give and take with our kisses, of asking and granting, of everything that fucking mattered to me in this world.

The feat was effortless as I let myself drown in Jasper's full, powder-soft lips that moved so erotically with my own, his every push against my mouth as he wished to seek more of me to hold onto and taste created such a delicious ecstasy that I could literally feel sparking throughout my body, igniting my blood and muscles and something much deeper as I let my wonderful guest devour as much of me as he pleased.

Jasper wrapped his arms around my shoulders, bringing me even closer to him still, as he hummed against my mouth in utter delight, the sensations of our furious, red-hot kisses making my clouded head fill with even more blissful fog, as he nipped lustfully at my bottom lip, prompting me to open my mouth.

Jasper's warm embrace was stern and fierce, as if he never wanted to be apart from me again, as he slipped his warm tongue inside my mouth, expertly seeking out my own wet muscle with which to tangle in a truly enchanting dance that had me resting more and more of my weight on top of him, needing his fire and light and all of the decadent energy wrapped up in each one of our rushed kisses.

The way Jasper swirled our moist tongues together, the way he flicked just the tip of his against my own...the way he would slow down his movements so that he could languidly stroke our two muscles together...all of it spoke volumes to me of how wanton and lustful my angel was for me, yet our actions also spoke of how much Jasper needed me in an entirely different way...something much more personal, greater...serious.

The blend of the two emotions I was able to latch onto from him, his kisses and the way he needed our mouths fused together, was both thrilling and endearing.

"...nnh...mmn..." I purred for my blonde-haired obsession currently lying sprawled out beneath me, slipping one hand underneath his back to anchor him to me further, and immediately feeling him slide his strong thighs up either of my sides, our heads switching sides in fluid a procession to breathe quickly before crushing our yearning lips back together again, our tongues easily finding one another this time.

Boldly, I lured Jasper's tongue inside my mouth, closing my lips around it and sucking lightly at his slippery muscle, part of me wanting to show him that I understood his silent messages loud and clear and that I agreed to see to his every need in this life if he would let me; my actions, however, had him shuddering in crippling, teetering pleasure against my chest pressed squarely against his own.

I smiled breathlessly as I released his tongue, Jasper's lips meeting mine in an almost frantic manner as he ran his hands down my back, seeming to want to map out every line and groove of muscle that contoured my pale flesh, as I brought my free hand down to his straining erection in between our bodies.

I ghosted my fingertips against his swollen head, but it was enough for Jasper to break off our passionate kisses as he tossed his curly head back against my inky pillows, his crimson lips parted as his breath stuttered, such an erotic display nearly resulting in my undoing as every one of his pants for air or the way his eyelashes fluttered from my touches had me seeing stars and feeling something even better.

I wrapped my fingers around his impressive length, slowly stroking up and down his engorged flesh to build up a rhythm as I brought my lips to his outstretched neck, kissing roughly at such soft skin and loving every time Jasper purred half-words and barely coherent phrases as a result.

"...ohh...God, yes...mmn...haa...shit...Edward..." Jasper whined his pleasure, his hands never staying still on my body for too long, as he glided his fingers through my hair, trailed them down my neck and around my shoulders, but only to grasp at my sides, as I gradually picked up speed of pumping my fist up and down his cock.

I smiled against the now worried, semi-slick flesh of Jasper's throat, before smoothly moving down his body once more, my hand still gripping tightly onto his throbbing member as I leisurely lowered my lips to his heated flesh, eager to taste him everywhere and bring him the most ecstasy.

Knowing that I could not wait another moment, I wrapped my lips around the wide head of Jasper's straining cock, sliding inch after glorious inch of him into my warm, moist mouth, as I circled my tongue along the sensitive underside, massaging his thick veins as I kept one hand holding firmly onto his base.

"Holy shit, Edward...ohh...fuck...yes..." Jasper's voice was shaky with need as he partially sat up but only to drop back down upon the mattress while I worked on him, releasing his cock from my mouth save for the enflamed head which I squeezed at with my lips, suckling at his spilling juices that coated smoothly over my tongue before gently nipping at his tip with my teeth.

I chuckled low in my throat at the way Jasper hissed at my small flirting with pain to him, before swallowing every inch of him all over again, finding that I positively loved how his throbbing length felt in my mouth and against my tongue, finding that I loved how Jasper would stretch and writhe and murmur low-spoken words to me from doing so, and felt my self immersed in utter harmony with the world right now.

I kept my throat relaxed, my bronze-colored bangs tickling his lower abdomen with each pass I made, as I bobbed my head up and down his engorged length, moving my gripping hand down to massage and play with his highly-receptive testicles, as I laved my tongue over his intruding flesh every time he filled my mouth.

"Oh my God...oh my...God, Edward...Jesus Christ...so good...ahh...I can't...ohh...baby..." Jasper rambled to the sunlit cathedral ceiling, his hips making subtle thrusts to meet my descending cavern that wrapped around him like drenched silk over and over again, our actions in a knowing synchronization with one another as I hummed in ardent approval at the way Jasper was currently losing touch with reality beneath my lips and hands.

My eyes nearly rolled to the back of my head in shared felicity as Jasper suddenly released a strangled moan, his body squirming with delicious need now as he fucked his cock harder and harder into my warm mouth, no longer wishing to hold back, no longer capable of holding back, as I willingly accepted his solid length that stretched my mouth open wide for his pleasure.

I would always accept him.

No question.

This joy I felt, this indescribable joy that had become every one of my senses upon first placing my lips onto Jasper's life-saving skin, as I understood that I was the one to give so much pleasure to this extraordinary, spectacular man, that it was my doing that had him losing his mind and asking me not to stop...made me unimaginably happy.

If my time on this earth was only meant to bring this remarkable man pleasure like this...then it would be a life well spent...because Jasper...his happiness...meant that much to me.

"Ed...ugh...Edward...not going to last long...haa...ahh...fuck...I'm close...I'm so close..." Jasper flung his hands by his head, gripping at the pillows behind him as he breathed hard, struggling to deal with so much accumulated pleasure that just ached to be set free, as I purposefully did not let up on my ministrations to his body, needing to see him come undone as if my life depended on it.

My wish was granted in a manner most dazzling, nearly taking me by surprise by the sheer magnitude of the pure eroticism and otherworldly beauty that struck me, as Jasper suddenly arched his back clear off of the bed, shoving his rigid cock completely in my mouth that I greedily closed my lips around and sucked hard, tasting his warm, creamy essence at once that rushed down my throat and splashed onto my lips and tongue.

His moan was long and breathless inside my otherwise silent quarters, as I lapped at his twitching member still cradled in between my lips, savoring his bittersweet taste that was solely for me, and I could almost feel my beloved Jasper reach new heights where he lie, as he fought to catch his breath, and kept his half-lidded eyes staring intently on my face and features, probably forgetting his questions to me faster than they occurred to him.

I realized I had never seen anything so enrapturing in my life than Jasper experiencing an orgasm from my own hands, and it was with the utmost care that I let Jasper's softening cock slip from my mouth and slowly sat up on my knees before him, needing to catch my own breath as well as I held his powerful yet naturally subdued gaze with my own.

"...Edward...that was incredible..." Jasper's voice still trembled with his sated, blissful nature, as he slowly sat up so he and I could be a little closer and eye-level with each other, "...I never knew...I mean, I think I've known for a while...what I mean is...uh...Edward...that was...I've been waiting..for you to want to be with me like this..."

The knowledge was ripe and bustling inside my mind that everything was now going to change between us concerning his stay here at the manor with me...that I had made it all change by doing what I had and now things could never go back to the way they had been before.

Maybe that was a good thing...

Perhaps...my hasty actions this morning...where I had not cared for consequences of any kind except for my unyielding need to touch him...perhaps...that was the best thing I could have done.

Maybe this had been the right moment, and I had seized it just right...

I knew that it was possible we would have to talk about this...but, maybe...words were not needed at all.

I remained silent though my emerald eyes were soft and kind as they looked over his gently smiling face and tossed curls, as he reached a tentative hand to my chest.

I met his hand with my own, affectionately squeezing his fingers and holding his hand to my sculpt chest, as I grinned warmly at his wide, ocean-blue eyes and lovely, sun-kissed body before me.

"...what...what about you...? Don't you want me to...return the favor...or...?" Jasper suddenly looked extremely worried, his words falling short in the simmering heat of our mutual gaze, his questioning while mine reassured, and my grin turned into an easy smile at my Adonis-like obsession.

I brought our intertwined hands up to my lips and pressed a chaste kiss to his knuckle in a gesture that I hoped would show him that just being physically with him was enough for me, before I answered his tapered words.

"No...not yet..." I spoke gravely, still with my smile in place to him, before continuing in a much lighter tone, "...come on...let's get some coffee."

Jasper's lips parted, his expression one of awe and worship as he watched my features, before he smiled a breathtakingly broad smile that made his eyes sparkle within their sapphire depths, and reached his other hand out to merely rest on my thigh.

"Okay," he responded cheerfully, much to my heart's fluttering exuberance.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_Edward's POV_

Two weeks later...

Joy.

Pure joy.

That was what I felt...seemingly all the time now.

Jasper and I could not get enough of each other, always wanting to be near one another, always wanting to touch, to hold, to kiss, to share in something that could only be described as breathtaking.

I was in love with being in love with him; so hard had I fallen for this man, and this was absolute heaven.

Even now, as he and I reclined comfortably on one of the large, maroon-colored Italian silk couches in the lounge room, watching an old movie while sipping on our blackberry wine and eating some of the snacks we had brought from the kitchen, I was at totally harmony with the world.

Jasper was resting his head and shoulders against my chest, his jean-clad legs propped up on the cushions as the black and white images of the film danced across the polished surfaces in the sophisticated room, while I held my drink in one hand and mindlessly ran my fingertips up and down the side of his neck with my other.

I never knew that life could be so simple, so easy to enjoy yet with so much to cherish.

I felt like I had only been existing until these moments with Jasper, just like this one, where there were no complications, barely any influence from the outside – just him and me needing each other and nothing else.

I had had no break-downs, no fleeting moments of madness that I had gotten all-too used to trying to deal with...none of my episodes of rage since I had let Jasper into more of my life than just my home.

I could feel him soothing me every day, soothing what used to coil and growl and strive to break free, I could feel Jasper practically lulling that thing inside of me to a deep slumber where I could finally forget about all of that, and live like a regular person.

We still had yet to make love, but, oddly enough, I was perfectly okay with the way things were with him, me not having any expectations, no demands, and I knew that things would just happen naturally, when both he and I were ready.

I knew that our lovemaking would not just be that; it would be the last step in our relationship, as it would signal that he loved me just as much as I loved him, and, for that, I would wait.

I smiled as Jasper laughed at something that happened in the movie, the melodic sound reverberating through me, as I watched more of him than the film.

He was so comfortable with me, always desiring to be intimately close to me no matter what, and I had never felt so humbled as a human being in that things with him would have turned out so perfectly.

I could die right now and be a truly happy man.

"Edward...what are you thinking about?" Jasper's lovely accented words caught my attention to his bright blue eyes that were staring up at me from where he reclined on my chest, his face a vision of time-perfected beauty as he regarded me so fondly.

I smiled a relaxed, easy smile, my words already crystal-clear to me of what I needed to say to him in this moment.

"I was just thinking about how much I love you, Jasper," I finally spoke the words I had had swimming in my head and heart since laying eyes on him, my tone impossibly soft to the stunning man before me as I could not speak any louder, my gaze softening with every word spoken as I witnessed as Jasper's breath halted.

"Edward..." Jasper breathed as he inched his way up to me, placing a hand on my thigh as he brought his face to my own.

"I love you, too, Edward...my God, it means...everything to me to hear you say that...Edward," Jasper cooed before our mouths met in a spellbinding kiss, our two souls intertwining seamlessly from the passionate press of our lips that I could no longer only think of myself in a singular sense.

Everything was about Jasper now.

Everything...

Jasper abruptly ended our heated kiss, my young lover a bit out of breath as he kept his heavily-lidded gaze on my lips whilst he spoke.

"Edward, I'm ready...I want you to make love to me...please, Edward...I love you so much," Jasper practically purred, his fingers curling around the fabric of my sleeves, as he anchored us to one another, the movie long forgotten about before us.

"...Jasper...I..." the words slowly escaped me, my secret coming undone inside my brain to tell him clearly, but my train of thought was utterly destroyed as the door to the room flew open with a loud bang against the opposite wall.

"Jasper...Jasper...there you are, mijo! You have to take a look at this...!" Maria exclaimed as she stormed inside the lounge, a piece of paper in her hands as she rushed to his side and thrust the sheet towards my Jasper.

"What is it, Maria? What happened..." Jasper asked the Spanish-speaking maid before lowering his eyes to the paper now in his hands, unfolding it the one time to reveal a large color picture of his face with the word 'missing' written in bold across the top.

"It's all over the news...they're saying that you ran away from school and...and that...um..." Maria was at a loss for words, something I was not too keen on hearing with my usually quick-witted maid.

"What else was reported, Maria?" I prompted the woman, unconsciously rubbing my hand up and down Jasper's back while he continued to read the fine print of the form, my eyes locked onto my hesitating maid.

"...they are saying that his father is in the hospital and wishes to see his son one last time," Maria's voice broke towards the end of her conclusion before she averted her eyes to give us even a shred of a personal moment at such a time.

My heart had already sank.

I selfishly knew what this would mean.

I could already feel my every fiber protesting the reassuring expression that became my features even though I already felt staggering amounts of pain flood through me in crippling droves.

Jasper's eyes were wide with fright and confusion, his mouth open but no words were being spoken...so I spoke for him.

"Go to him, Jasper...go see your family. I give you permission to leave," I announced firmly but with tenderness in my voice, bringing a hand to the southerner's untamed locks of curly hair, needing to touch the silken strands I adored one last time, before trailing my palm down the side of his face and gingerly turning his head towards mine.

"Edward...I...I have to go..." Jasper's words were so broken, his soul hurting and in so much pain, and I brushed my thumb across his cheekbone one more time before letting go of him.

"...I know..." I stated simply, refusing to let Jasper see any of my internal strife with this decision, my hatred of the entire situation.

The whole world could burn for all I cared, as I long as still had Jasper with me.

However, no sooner than the words had left my mouth did Jasper shoot up from the couch and from my side,run passed Maria and out of the room.

I heaved a great sigh and placed my elbow on the wide armrest of the couch, smoothing out the lines on my forehead with my fingers as I considered what had just happened and how thoroughly hollow it had just made me.

"I'm sorry, Edward..." Maria spoke sweetly beside me, apologizing for my forlorn attitude which resulted in the misfortune regarding Jasper having to leave the residence; her words not nearly enough for me to raise my gaze.

"...not nearly...as sorry as I am, Maria," I commented dryly, dropping my hand from my face dramatically, as I frowned deeply, still not meeting her gaze.

I already fucking missed him, missed touching his face, smelling his bright hair, kissing his decedent mouth.

I felt like the air, the very vitality, had just been stolen right from me as I continued not to move on the couch but merely stare at the way the black and white movie made the stagnant wooden furniture in this room seem to dance and express emotion.

Emotion that I could no longer feel now that Jasper had left me.

Every other person in the world could have been been standing right beside me and it would not have made a difference; my house still would have been empty...because I did not have _him_ anymore.

All of my plans have failed, all of my progress and happiness...that wonderful warmth that had settled deep within me because of him...failed...almost a cruel dream.

"Is there...anything I can do...?" Maria asked me in a small, considerate voice, my astute maid evidently aware that I was in agony, that I had just had the greatest thing in my life rush out of my embrace in a matter of a few minutes, taking away my goddamn purpose for living right along with him.

"...bring me a Scotch," I ordered coldly.

I no longer felt the blessed sense of humanity I had come to love and respect coursing through me.

I only felt the previously subdued monster growling hideously inside me.

I no longer felt a lightness to my world and hopes anymore.

I only felt depression.

I no longer felt that exquisite euphoria that even I could be happy in the most glorious of ways.

All of that had left me in the instant that Jasper had fled.

I dropped my face in both my hands at once, weeping silently.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_Third Person POV_

The following day...

"...dad, I am so sorry I haven't been here...I should have known to...ugh, what can I do, dad? Tell me what I can do..." Jasper plead with a tremble in his voice as he sat beside his ailing father, clutching his hand but being mindful of the plastic tube running from a prominent vein to the medicine drip bag hanging overhead.

Jasper's father, aged and telling of his failing health but with a pleasant smile seemingly always fixed on his face, opened his matching blue eyes a little wider before regarding his son.

"Jasper...son...there are just some things in this world that are out of everyone's control...this right now...my cancer...is one of them. But I am so happy to see you, son...you look like you're doing real good..." Mr. Whitlock spoke freely to his son, watching with ancient but wise eyes as Jasper continued to cry beside him.

"Dad..." Jasper lamented, asking for forgiveness, asking for advice, asking for solace, all in the single spoken word.

Jasper had not left the hospital room his father had been staying at whence he had arrived late the previous night.

The only time he had had a break from being with his father was when the nurses had made him leave so that Mr. Whitlock could rest.

Jasper had fallen asleep in the waiting room.

All of his fathers' doctors had spoken to him at some point during the passed twenty-four hours, all of them explaining in their own way exactly what was wrong with his father.

Jasper could only make sense of one thing, though.

His father was dying.

Now, as Jasper clung to the man who had raised and cared for him, had accepted everything about him from beginning to end, who had been there for all of it, Jasper could not stop his tears from flowing down his raw cheeks.

As Jasper's mother had already passed away several years ago, Jasper felt like another piece of him was being sectioned off as he now saw his father this way.

"...enough with all that heavy stuff...I want to know...more about that man you were telling me about..." Jasper's father chimed merrily, his cobalt eyes sparkling as they blinked amiably at Jasper's stunned, emotional face, the old man wise to his son's mind having to switch gears with a call for such a topic.

Jasper sniffed before speaking, trying to reign in his usually firm voice so he could try to be strong for his father.

"Edward? Well, he..." Jasper struggled at first to sort his thoughts, his mind having been caught up in a whirlwind ever since the moment the news of his father's declining health had reached him at Mason Manor, but then a single idea formed clearly and concisely within him, shutting out everything else completely.

This might be the last chance Jasper would have to tell his father how happy he was.

"...he's wonderful, dad...he lives in this huge house where suits of armor line the hallways and gigantic paintings cover the walls. Every room is...beautiful with different colors and they're filled with things he has collected over the years. And Edward, he's...so kind to me. He's always so calm and collected and he takes great care of me...he also has this maid named Maria who I've become really good friends with...but Edward...he's special, dad," Jasper spoke truthfully, his mind relaxing a little as he remembered the enormous mansion, the various rooms he and Edward had wandered into like a never-ending adventure, and the wonderland of discovery that had taken place like a forbidden, childhood secret made truth.

"Hmm..." Jasper's father seemed to relish in Jasper's colorful depiction, enjoying his son's exuberance by his bedside, "...he sounds like a real catch, son. Are you happy with him? Does he make you happy...?"

Jasper blinked at his father, their sapphire orbs locked as Jasper knew exactly what the older gentleman was really asking him.

His father wanted to know if Jasper would be alright and have someone there for him after he passed.

Jasper swallowed the lump forming in his throat down upon considering such a notion.

"Yes...he does. I love him," Jasper answered soulfully.

X

Meanwhile, at the Mason Manor...

Sweat flew from the lone man's lovely but screwed face as Edward Masen hurled another elegant wooden chair to the wall with astounding might, smashing the expensive furniture that rained splinters to the soiled floor below.

Edward breathed hard, his body exhausted, his muscles protesting even continuing to stand as the sullen heir wavered on his feet for a moment, barely missing the overturned table and several fragments of destroyed artifacts that lie scattered in every direction.

His clothes were of the day before, soaked through with perspiration from constantly pushing his body passed the point of collapsing, mixed horribly with tear stains from hours ago that had long dried on Edward's cheeks and shirt.

His usually calculative emerald orbs were painfully raw from the seemingly unstoppable bouts of crying that had left him empty and scathing, his eyes now holding no other emotion other than furious rage, as he continued to wreck the things that used to make his home extraordinary.

Edward let loose another terrifying scream from his sore throat as he kicked the closest fallen item, sending it sailing to crash into the corner, before he used both of his hands to push over the towering armoire, the exertion needed to send the heavy item banging noisily onto the floor being exactly what Edward seemed to crave.

The man with fallen locks the color of autumn spice, sank to his knees in despair, his scratchy eyes and aching throat barely enabling him to weep any longer for the pain was too great, and Edward placed his hands flat on the floor in maddening defeat.

Edward had stood his father's inconsolable hatred of him, ever since he had been a child.

Edward had got passed his mother's premature death, even though it had been something he had never fully understood.

He had found clarity in his solitude and forged a certain niche in this world despite every misfortune that had befallen him.

Edward...however...could not stand this.

He could not stand having the one goddamn thing he had ever treasured...the first thing he had ever truly loved...taken away from him.

But, Jasper had not been taken away.

He had left.

Edward's body shook with fear, with anger, with self-loathing and malice towards everything else in the world, as he squeezed his hurting eyes shut and pounded his fists on the floor.

At the back of the room, Maria poked her dark head in through the small opening she had made with the door to observe the master of the house.

"Oh...Edward...no..." Maria whispered to herself, her eyes watering at the pitiful yet frightening sight of her employer like this, self-destructing.

Maria knew that Edward trusted her, as she had been there through the bad and the good with the young Masen prodigy.

The Spanish-speaking woman had been there to cheer him up after his long doctor visits, she had been the one to fetch his medications and see to his needs no matter how eccentric, she had been the one to hear his most precious secrets simply because no one else had been around and he has asked her to stay.

They had an understanding.

They had...a friendship.

Maria knew that Edward trusted her, and the maid was torn inside as she watched as he wrecked his beautiful house and completely lose all care for himself.

"Um...excuse me...Edward...look, I'm coming in..." Maria knew that she had a job to do, one that she was happy to see through as she had long ago accepted that she would be forever loyal to her enigmatic host and personal friend, as she steadied her voice and squared her shoulders before entering the room.

"Get out!" Edward roared to the best of his abilities, his words sounding more like dried paper crumpling, as he ceased his useless beating of the floor and simply remained slumped as he was, his tearless sobs wracking his frame.

Maria swallowed down her fear, forcing her nerves away, as she approached Edward carefully.

"Edward...let me help you...let me help you," Maria said warmly as she neared the unpredictable man in the center of the utterly disheveled room, the maid having to cautiously step over bits of wood and glass and porcelain that littered the floor.

Edward reared his arm back, throwing a broken piece of a chair leg behind him that missed Maria by a wide berth but made the woman halt her steps in panic for a moment.

"Edward...I'm not going to go away...let me help you," Maria continued to speak kindly to her employer, having now come up behind him and slowly knelt down by his side.

"Why did this have to happen...Maria...I did everything...everything that I planned...I still lost him..." Edward began speaking for the first time since Jasper had left, his voice impossibly hard to hear and even more heartbreaking to Maria once he did so.

Maria inhaled a great deal of air, her thoughts clearly coming to her as to how she needed to explain the situation for what it was.

She needed to explain it...as if Edward were a child.

"Edward...sometimes, we can't plan out every single detail. Sometimes things get in the way, life...gets in the way. What happened with Jasper's father could not have been known beforehand. You did nothing wrong," Maria tried to soothe the fragile man crouched so desperately beside her, the maid resting a gentle hand on his shoulder and she could feel the shiver of failing adrenaline, from lack of water and food, coursing through Edward's frame.

Maria knew what she needed to say next, what Edward would really listen to.

"He'll come back, Edward," Maria spoke solidly, her voice certain and powerful, like a golden bell ringing loudly and concisely in the midst of a warring battlefield.

This time, Edward slowly turned his head towards her, revealing his restless, reddened eyes and unhealthy pale skin.

"...you think so...?" Edward asked in a pleading voice, his damp cheeks and dark circles underneath his eyes paining Maria even more, but at the time, strengthening her resolve to see her employer happy tenfold.

Maria smiled in earnest, glad to see even the tiniest ray of hope present within Edward's features.

"I promise."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Third Person POV_

Several days later...

"Mr. Whitlock...excuse me...sir...?" a nurse, dressed in classic cartoon-designed scrubs shook the slumbering young man awake where he was currently curled up in one of the waiting room chairs.

"...mm-hmm...what is it?" Jasper asked groggily, having barely gotten much sleep the passed few nights, as his father had just started chemotherapy and his health had only appeared to be getting worse.

"Mr. Whitlock, I just wanted to inform you that your father is back in his room from his treatment, but we are not currently letting any visitors in for the rest of the evening so he may rest," the nurse explained the situation to Jasper, as the latter rolled his cramping shoulders and blinked away his tiredness.

"Oh...I see..." Jasper muttered a bit dejectedly.

The nurse grinned sympathetically over him before speaking again.

"You look like you could use some good old fashioned sleep yourself. How about you leave for the night? Your father will just be sleeping until morning..." the nurse offered logically, something Jasper had admittedly not given much thought to recently- logic.

"I know...I know I should, but..." Jasper trailed off, his body weary and his mind even worse, as he knew that this nurse had probably has had to shoo away dozens of worried family members just like him considering her line of work, making his own protests sounds weak and not unique to his own ears.

"Honey, we'll call you as soon as anything happens. Oh! And I almost forgot..." the nurse suddenly piped up happily, a smile on her middle-aged face as she retrieved a folded envelope inside her scrub shirt pocket and extended it out to Jasper.

"This letter arrived to your father's room, but it's addressed to you," the nurse said as Jasper accepted the thick, white envelope, the weight of it feeling more than just a single slip of paper inside.

"Thank you..." Jasper spoke to the woman before him, eying the way his name was scrawled in perfectly penned cursive across the center along with which room number his father was staying in, the cream color of the paper not being familiar at all to the blonde male as he looked over the item with a puzzled expression.

"You're welcome. Now go home, get some rest...we'll all still be here in the morning," the nurse waved at Jasper cheerfully as she walked away from the waiting area, leaving Jasper with the anonymous package in his hands.

Steeling his tired eyes, Jasper broke the adhesive flap free of the rest of the paper of the envelope, opening the simple thing with unbelievable care, before he spread apart the contents.

Money.

"Holy shit...!" Jasper caught himself before he spoke too loudly inside the Catholic hospital, his blue eyes snapping open wide and darting from his left to his right several times, looking for anyone even remotely within the vicinity who might have heard his outburst.

Turning his body more towards the back of the chair he was sitting in, Jasper brought the envelope close to his chest as he hovered over the contents, peering inside whilst still covering the item from any potential on-lookers.

"Oh my God...there has to be...there has to be close to thirty...no, forty-thousand dollars in here..." Jasper whispered to himself, his shock growing each time his thumb passed over five hundred dollar bill after five hundred dollar bill stacked neatly inside the envelope.

"...I'm...I'm saved...me and my dad...this w-will..." Jasper choked on his own breathless words, as he thought about how this money could pay off the hefty medical expenses that were incurring as he spoke, it could help pay for any prescription medicines his father might need, any equipment...

This money would literally save his life and hopefully his father's life, too.

The money was finally a firm answer amidst his sea of impossible questions, and Jasper clutched onto it gravely.

Suddenly, Jasper whipped his head around, everything about this mysterious comeuppance making perfect sense to the southern-born man, as he felt fresh new tears stream effortlessly down his lovely face.

"Edward..." Jasper spoke aloud, now realizing who had been behind such a gracious gift.

This time, Jasper knew the tears he could feel in his eyes were tears of gratitude.

X

Meanwhile...

Edward Masen sat at the pub, nursing his dark lager draft as he kept both of his arms crossed atop the bar, the fair man thinking solemnly, shrouded by the black of his clothes.

Edward sighed silently through his nose, not even caring to listen to the sports event playing on the overhead television or the many patrons behind and beside him that chattered away endlessly about matters too trivial to even register to his overworked mind.

The wealthy, tormented heir raised a hand to his brow, sweeping his fingers through the unruly locks of auburn tresses as he frowned, frowned at life, frowned at death, both with such solid disdain that he felt himself physically ailing the more he considered either aspect.

A tiny bit of happiness had wormed its way back inside Edward's frozen heart whence he had sent Jasper and his father that money.

Edward huffed sarcastically to himself as he remembered how he did not even have it in him to include a letter or sign his own name on the front, but it had been that small boost in performing that deed that had been the thing to give Edward some strength back so he may leave the house and venture to this bar now.

He knew that Jasper needed that money, and he had wanted to help out him and his father.

It had been an easy decision giving him that money, because Edward genuinely wanted to help Jasper in any way that he could.

The young Masen prodigy brought his glass to his lips, sipping heartily of the smooth, seasoned beer, letting the dark brew fill his mind and senses with its robust and commanding flavor, when a certain few words spoken from somewhere on his right caught his avid attention.

"...hey...did you see the news today? That one guy who went missing a while back finally turned up...what was his name...oh yeah! Jasper Whitlock..." a pleasant enough but obviously drunken male voice sounded with an agitating smile present in his tone.

Edward halted in taking another drink of his beer, the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he strained his ears to listen more to the conversation.

"Oh, yeah! I remember reading about that...he hasn't been back at school, though. I guess his dad is really sick or something," a female voice piped up now, joining the male voice that has spoken first behind the eavesdropping older man only pretending to be interested in his lager.

Edward casually sipped more of his beer, taking his time as he lowered his eyes, focusing all of his senses on these two people who seemed to know Jasper and his current situation.

"He better make it back soon or he's going to miss signing up for the next semester. Poor guy...I really feel for Jasper, you know...they say his dad is terminal..." the drunken college student rambled on to his female companion, but as soon as those words had been spoken, Edward immediately rose from his chair and stormed out of the establishment, leaving his beer behind.

Edward felt like he could not breathe properly as he rushed down the city street, heading in the direction of his house, but on labored steps as he unconsciously brought one hand to his painfully stabbing chest.

Forcing himself to take deep, steadying breaths as he made his steps come to a halt, Edward desperately tried to sort out such jagged, spontaneous pain.

His hands ached to hold onto Jasper, to comfort him during such a horrible time in his young life.

Edward's chest burned to be close to Jasper's, to physically touch him and to know that he had him to care for and love.

Edward's stomach lurched with the thought that these things were not being satisfied right now, and that each new second felt like a small, jeering blade being driven through his skull without Jasper Whitlock.

Edward had to see him, had to have to him close and make sure he was being taken care of.

Goddamnit, Edward just needed him.

His breathing back to normal and his blood pressure having lowered considerably, Edward gently propelled his gait forward again, thoughts no longer brooding and mournful...but now maddening and unsettling.

Ideas of what to do, of what he can do, in order to make Jasper's his again flooding and teasing the millionaire heir, tempting him with acting brash even at this very moment in the late evening hour.

But...Edward knew he would do no such thing right now.

He had let Jasper go so he may have time with his father.

Perhaps, even at that critical moment whence Maria had first brought up the news to them both...Edward had acted the way he had...because he wanted Jasper to come to him.

From the beginning, every one of Edward's moves had been about letting Jasper make the decisions as to how they proceeded together.

This would be no different, only of much more significant magnitude.

In the end, once...if Jasper did return to Edward...Edward knew it would be for good.

So, Edward would ignore his pain, as he always had, and wait for the greatest gift of all...no matter how much it hurt in the meantime.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Third Person POV_

Seventeen days later...

"Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream...it is not dying, it is not dying..." Edward sang in a slurred, inebriated speech as he reclined on the violet daybed, ceiling-tall windows behind him, shining shards of white light inside the otherwise darkened room located in west wing of Masen Manor.

"...lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void...it is shining...it is shining..." the lonely man continued to sing the lethargic lyrics aloud to himself before lifting his swirling glass of whiskey to his lips and drinking deeply of stinging yet smooth liquor.

Edward could hear the swaying music inside his mind, filled with eerie chimes and legato, dissonant notes from stringed instruments, as the millionaire hummed the melody, uncaring of how it sounded outside his head as he lazily conducted the tempo of the tune with his hands waving in the air.

The pale man lying haphazardly on the plump furniture had lost count of how many times he had gotten drunk within the passed two weeks, how many bottles of various kinds of liquor he had drank, as he only knew that he had fallen in love with the way he was not able to feel anything once he had done so.

Edward had been refusing to let Maria see him, refusing her offers of help and even her suggestions for him to seek outside counsel for his growing dependence on alcohol and seemingly endless bouts of depression.

Each day felt like a hurdle in which another added thorn was driven into his chest, all of them tightening until the Masen male felt that the only things he could do were drink and sleep so he could just get on to the next day.

Edward knew only one thing in the whole goddamn world would make him feel alive again, would end his suffering and make him want to feel the sun's warmth on his face again.

However, Edward had given up trying to look into that future.

The hurt that followed his own hopes falling through and letting him down again proving to be far too much than he could handle.

Edward sighed upon finishing humming the sullen melody, bringing the glass to his lips again and swallowing the rest of the fiery amber liquid, his gaze barely even registering the shadow-spotted walls that yearned desperately for brilliant sunshine to come in and wash away all the festering darkness.

Edward dropped the highball glass onto the floor, hearing it clank noisily on the ground as it rolled away from him, as Edward pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, trying to stop the tears from forming.

X

Meanwhile...

Curled, blonde locks snapped furiously around chiseled cheekbones and into crystal-blue eyes as a certain young man raced up the paved pathway that snaked its way through the outer front gardens until it reached the giant double doors.

"Edward!" Jasper roared despite the mild chill that the coasting wind held with it, the approaching evening hour cooling the atmosphere and all the inhabitants therein as Jasper hurriedly grabbed a hold of one of the golden doorknobs and heaved the heavy wooden door open.

"...Edward!" Jasper called even more vigorously once he was inside the grand foyer he knew all too, having lived in this manor until several weeks ago, the southern-born male breathing hard from his sprint to this side of town.

Jasper ignored the fire coursing through his legs, his adrenaline and need to see Edward far outweighing his own discomfort at the moment, as he began jogging up the lavishly carpeted stairs.

"Ed...Edward...where are you...!" Jasper hollered, tears springing to his lovely eyes as he raced down of the many corridors, not even blinking at the massive paintings or the dying flowers that were still collected inside vase after vase that lined the lengthy hallways.

From somewhere in the manor, green eyes opened from being shielded by a pale hand.

"Ugh...what if he's not here...no...no, he's got to be...I've just got to fucking find him..." Jasper spoke aloud to himself, as he promptly turned away from the corridor and began running towards the opposite end of the house.

"Edward...Edward...! It's me, Edward...it's Jasper!" the blonde male hollered once more, his voice cracking a bit under the strain as he felt his throat sorely protest any further screaming, his dark denim jacket atop his opened, forest green long sleeved shirt and white undershirt swishing around his pumping arms as he raced forth.

"Edward...where the fuck are you...answer me please...!" Jasper sobbed to the echoing corridors as he ran to the last room of the west wing, his tears now streaming freely down his precious face out of the crippling desperation made far too real in this moment of being inside the empty house that once held every one of his most treasured desires.

Edward chuckled mirthlessly as he dropped his hand from his face, his fingers hitting the hardwood floor as he let his arm go limp off of the daybed, Edward's body trembling slightly as he could have sword he had heard his name being called, yelled even.

Edward wet his lips with his tongue, eyes still blankly staring up at the ceiling as he kept silent, trying to hear something more, trying to hear anything that would remind him that he had not gone completely insane yet.

Silence.

Nothing.

Just then, the door to the room burst open, making Edward's stomach twist in surprise for a moment as he whipped his copper-colored head towards that direction.

There, standing in the doorway, panting for sweet air, Edward felt his own breath leave him as he slowly started to sit up, his eyes widening at the beloved, most welcome sight of tussled honey curls, piercing sapphire orbs, and full pink lips.

Neither man spoke, neither man having the ability to at the moment, as Edward suddenly shot up from his place on the daybed, just as Jasper rushed to approaching male, their steps great and determined to finally close the remaining space in between them after all this time.

They met in the center of the pristine room, Jasper immediately wrapping his arms around Edward's neck and shoulders, weeping for all he was worth against Edward's chest, as Edward squeezed his arms around Jasper's back.

Edward could feel Jasper shaking, his own bodily state no better from such powerful onslaught of emotional extremities that they both were experiencing in this fragile moment, as Edward gripped the fabric at Jasper's back tighter in his hands, burying his face in the crook of Jasper's neck.

Rich cinnamon and just a hint of sun-kissed sweetness that was Jasper's delectable scent filled Edward's sobering senses, meaning the world and more to him as he could feel his previously iron-clad anguish simply slip away.

Each man absolutely unyielding in his secure embrace of the other, Edward and Jasper slowly sank down to their knees on the floor, Jasper's tears those of immense, life-changing happiness, as the weight of their collective emotion forced them downward for the time being.

Edward softly cooed to his beloved Jasper now finally with him once again, bringing up a hand and carding his fingers gently through his lover's hair, soothing the young man clinging so desperately to him as if Jasper would fall without him there.

Jasper's flowing tears restored Edward's previously shattered resolve; Jasper's hands holding firmly onto him justifying every time Edward had felt depression...

Jasper needing him as much as he did at this moment...made every day of the pure, utter hell Edward had endured without him...worth it.

He would go through all of it again and worse just to feel as loved and needed as he did right now.

Jasper brought his hands down to clutch at the thin white shirt adorning Edward's chest, his sobs slowing down but still making his slender frame shiver sporadically against Edward's supporting body, as both men simply remained as they were, drawing serenity and a sense of wholeness from the other that they could feel practically healing the wounds brought on from their separation.

This was how it was supposed to be from now on.

Now that Edward had seen firsthand what became of his life when he no longer had Jasper with him, he knew that he would die before he would let go of this person again.

His heart full and his mind mended, Edward slid his hands to Jasper's shoulders, squeezing the strong muscles there to gain his lover's attention before gently bringing his hands to either side of Jasper's perfect face.

Jasper's breathing was unsteady through his parted ruby lips, as he kept his tear-filled eyes locked onto Edward's calming green ones, the younger male feeling his whole existence become a little more meaningful upon seeing Edward smile softly at him.

At once, Jasper felt his heart skip a beat; he knew that Edward was alright, that they would be alright...that Edward still loved him.

Edward could see the hope rising inside cobalt depths, the notion only warming him all the more, as he used the pads of his thumbs to gingerly wipe away the trails of dried tears from Jasper's cheeks, Edward positively falling even more in love with the man before him as he could visibly see Jasper breathe easier from the act and lean into his touch.

With a mindful yet raspy voice, Edward spoke to Jasper, still holding his astounding face in his hands while the latter held his heart in his.

"...you came back."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Edward's POV_

"...you came back," I finally spoke to my angel, voicing aloud the simplest of my thoughts but also the most important one as I cradled his face in my hands.

My eyes drank in Jasper's porcelain features, the perfect symmetry of his face and frame all but washing over me and leaving me just as entranced as when I had first laid eyes on him.

I felt so whole again, like my one connection to actually living had just come back to me and I was able to be happy again.

"...you...came back for me..." I spoke again, my very essence still being thoroughly rearranged and put back in a better place within me as Jasper and I hurriedly met in a heated kiss.

Jasper tasted of cherries and sweet honey, his lips my very salvation as I relished in the way his soft mouth opened willingly to accept me.

Jasper's fingers gripped at the front of my shirt before he ran his hands flat down my chest, our tongues meshing together in a seamless tangle that had the tips of my hair tingling and my stomach fluttering wildly.

Jasper purred into my mouth, his luscious lips kissing mine over and over as we both struggled to taste even more of the other, to try to blur the lines where one began and the other man ended.

I hummed low in my throat as Jasper trailed his hands up to my neck, his slender fingers curling in my hair, as he and I naturally ended our kiss to breathe, Jasper resting his forehead against mine as he kept his eyes closed.

"Of course I came back, Edward...I could barely stay away...I thought about you constantly...and..." Jasper opened his eyes and met my gaze, our breath mixing intimately in the small space between us, as he mindlessly smoothed his thumbs across my cheeks.

"...and...it was you...you saved my dad...your money saved..." Jasper continued to pour his heart out to me, but I gently interrupted him.

"It was your money, sweetheart...you earned it...you had every right to it...you saved your father..." I gingerly interjected, needing Jasper to know that I only paid the money to him that he had rightfully earned, the money that had been agreed upon in the beginning that I had been more than willing to give him.

I needed him to understand that anything good that had come out of us being apart had come from him and him alone.

Jasper smiled a truly heart-melting smile at me, one that expressed his gratitude and love and a whole other world of brilliant emotion that was far too enrapturing for any mere mortal to behold as I was.

"...come here..." I cooed to my beloved Jasper as I took his hands in mine and helped the two of us to stand, my eyes locked onto his heavenly features as we both rose to our full height, my own being just a few inches taller than him.

My breath sidled out of my nostrils, my whole world having settled back comfortably in such familiar, cherished bliss that I had only known whilst being so close to Jasper like this, as the younger male buried his face in my chest, his hands squeezing my own fingers hard inside his grip, never wanting to let me go.

"Come on, love...let me take you to bed," I voiced my intentions quite clearly, watching as Jasper lifted his curly, blonde head up from chest to first stun me again with his ocean-like gaze before he placed a soft, candy-sweet kiss to my lips, telling me without words that he agreed.

I lead the two of us out of the practically bare room located inside the west wing, not bothering to pick up the crystal highball glass left forgotten on the hardwood floor as Jasper and I kept close to one another as we navigated to a different part of the manor.

No words passed either of our lips, our steps determined yet mindful at the same time, as Jasper clung to my fingers and kept his lithe body tucked securely against my side, teasing me with the sensations of his hard, firm body ghosting across my own as we strolled down the silent corridor, passing artwork after artwork and not caring to spare any one of them a glance.

Jasper knew where we going just as well as I did, his body moving perfectly in tune with my own as we both made a right at the top of the stairwell, passing his old room and some of the more obscure framed paintings that cluttered my house, as we headed directly for the room that he and I had been sharing up until not so very long ago.

That very same 'not so long ago,' however, feeling like an eternity just the same.

Upon approaching our bedroom, I suddenly shoved Jasper inside before stepping calmly inside myself.

I turned around and locked the door behind me, meeting eyes just as hungry and demanding as my own once I faced my blonde-haired angel again.

The sexual tension was palpable, the both of us having probably understood the moment we had seen each other in the other room that we needed to make love, that the act needed to happen between us right now and not a moment later.

I knew that I could not wait a second longer.

I knew that my inner monster had finally seen the highest stars of happiness as well as the lowest gallows of despair, all from this single beautiful entity named Jasper Whitlock, and that us joining together would finally mend a permanent balance on which to soar forever.

I strode the short distance between us, Jasper's hands already reaching for my face and pulling me in for a scorching hot kiss whilst my own hands hurried to the opened folds of his denim jacket and inner shirts.

I roughly pushed at the offending material from Jasper's shoulders, hurrying to rid my lover from all things keeping him away from me to even the most miniscule level, as he and I separated our lips for a fraction of a moment so that he could shrug off the articles of clothing and pull his white tee shirt over his head.

Blunt fingernails scratched enticingly at my abdomen, stretching the thin fabric of my wife-beater across my torso, prompting me to let a little bit more of my aching need surface a little more with a crook of my neck as I closed my eyes.

Then, my hands were planted on Jasper's naked chest, caressing the smooth skin there only for a moment before pushing him backwards so he would fall atop the large, canopy bed behind him, me following him quickly as I straddled his long legs.

"Please, Edward...let me see you, too..." Jasper begged breathlessly from the bed, a command which I was all too happy to oblige as I recklessly tore my pathetic shirt up over my head and chucked the damned thing away from us.

Jasper mewled deliciously as he squirmed underneath my pinning gaze as I dropped down to my hands but did not kiss his lips just yet.

Jasper brought his hands up by his head, his fingers twisting around the silken sheets there as he willingly offered his whole body up to my every whim, something I intended full well to utilize to my greatest of satisfaction.

I drank in his every flicker of expression while I ran my chin and lips down his chest, both of us somehow having understood that we were far passed words at this point, and that nothing more needed to be conveyed between the two of us as I could feel Jasper's desperate love fusing seamlessly with my own.

"Ed...Edward...mmn..." my blue-eyed lover purred amiably, his body anxious for rougher touches underneath my body, my own flesh able to soak in his enticing warmth and energy, as I took my time in dragging my tongue across his toned chest.

His skin tasted just as sweet and intoxicating as I remembered, better even, and I hummed in mind-blowing appreciation while I swirled my tongue around one of his pert, pink nipples, memorizing the flavor that was hinted along his flesh as I felt small pieces of myself mending within the more I tended to him.

"...ha...J-Jesus...nnnf..." Jasper squirmed a little more per my torturous ministrations to his delectable body, my tongue roving over the small bud of flesh as if I had an eternity and more to love him like this before placing a small nip to it that about had Jasper yelping in surprise.

I smiled wickedly against his chest before moving to his other nipple and simply biting at it a bit harder than the other, making Jasper arch his back at the harsher treatment that I could tell that he craved from me at the moment.

I kissed the worried bud of flesh before flicking it teasingly with the tip of my tongue, letting my saliva cool on his sensitive skin and relieve any pain I had inflicted there.

Jasper was breathing hard where he lie, his lovely crystal-blue eyes glazed over and heavily lidded as he regarded me so wantonly that I could barely keep myself under control, his deep-reaching desire for no one else but me feeling like I had inherited not just his heart but the very heavens themselves.

I could easily spend the rest of my life observing the way he looked at me in just this moment.

It made me feel like I could move mountains.

It made me feel worthwhile.

It made me feel...perfect.

My lips parted at the raw intensity I saw present within my lover, at that certain power contained within him that spoke so clearly to me about how much Jasper wanted us to be together, about how much he needed me and how he knew that I needed him just as badly.

Not just for now but forever.

I languidly kissed my southern lover's flat stomach, running my lips across the soft expanse of flesh there while I brought my hands to the front of his pants, teasing Jasper's growing cock with my fingertips as I kissed lower and lower upon him.

"Mmn...oh God, please...yes...do it, Edward...suck me," Jasper erotically demanded of me, his hips lifting a little bit off of the mattress as he carded his fingers though my hair, playing with my messy bronze locks while I pulled his zipper down.

I loved how impatient he was being with me, the revelation making my stomach do small, adrenaline-rushing flips while I rid my gorgeous lover of the last of his clothing.

Jasper shimmied the rest of the way out of his pants and boxers, my eyes fixated totally on his leaking member, my brain all but halting from how impossibly swollen he was for me, before I swallowed his entire length in one, swift movement.

Jasper crying out in sheer bliss had been magic to hear as I hummed graciously around his thick cock, letting it pulse against my tongue before squeezing my lips around his hardened flesh, my ministrations with him being absolutely feral and need-driven and I could practically feel every inch of my being screaming at me to bring Jasper as much pleasure as possible.

It brought me pleasure to be felt in the act of giving him pleasure, and I was delighted to hear Jasper's groans of ecstasy spill over one another in an endless chorus that sang throughout the rest of the spacious bedroom, almost as if he was breathing life into the untouched furniture that was placed here and there.

Delicate fingers tugged on my tousled hair as I began a punishing pace of sucking my beloved Jasper's length up and down, my tongue swirling tenaciously around the pronounced ridge adorning the wide head before I plunged my mouth low on him once more.

I could feel my own cock harden incredibly upon having his flesh slip in and out of my mouth like this, my tongue making a game of teasing him just the right amount to wring out that lovely, gravel-filled voice of his that strummed through me more than anything.

I was eager to have his cock thrusting in and out of my welcoming throat, my hurried actions intensified from my own building lust for this writhing, moaning beauty beneath me as I heard Jasper's breathing increase, his grip in my hair becoming even more unrelenting.

I had to make him come for me right now.

I could tell my angel was close.

I had to taste him.

I felt like I would go insane again if I did not.

I had to...

Bringing a hand to Jasper's sensitive sac, I massaged his balls with gentle rolls of my fingers, pulling when I dared, and I hummed semi-consciously around Jasper' intruding length that kept my lips parted wide and my tongue nearly flattened from our joint movement.

"...oh fuck...oh fuck...ohh...fuck...Edward...!" Jasper's naturally pleasant voiced raised in a brilliant crescendo as he suddenly squeezed his eyes shut tight, his hands trembling where they were, as he slowly arched his back and let his warm, creamy come flood into my mouth.

I obligingly swallowed Jasper's seed, letting his milky fluid rush down my throat and zing across my taste buds in a wonderful moment where I could literally recognize my thoughts ceasing to be so I may purely bask in all things having to do with my Jasper.

In this elongated moment in which I could not even distinguish from fiction and reality, Jasper became my everything, made...my everything...with the very same hands that reached so blindly for me.

I pulled my mouth away from Jasper's cock, gasping a bit for breath, as a few lines of his completion dripped from my lips and slid down my chin.

"Holy mother...that was...I can barely...whoa..." Jasper purred adorably as I slid into his warm embrace once more, letting him shower my face and throat and shoulders with unbelievable kisses, my own mind still not belonging in this same plane of existence as I soared through the clouds and higher still of my every-growing love for this man.

I smiled at my lover's tender display of affection before freeing a hand and bringing it to the side of his angelic face, the two of us instantly coming together in a grand kiss that made the both of us purr in utter ecstasy, Jasper enthusiastically tasting himself on my lips and tongue.

My cock pulsed once Jasper licked up one of the smears of his own come from my chin, his eyes closed and his face so utterly erotic that I had to grit my teeth in order to handle such a mind-breaking view right before me.

Then, a small gasp left me upon feeling Jasper's deft hands unbuttoning my trousers and boldly reaching inside to free my aching cock with sure fingers that immediately began stroking my flesh up and down, Jasper's rose-petal lips never leaving my own in the process.

"Heh..." I grinned devilishly against my handsome lover's lips, loving the way his hands and warmth and love and spirit felt wrapped around me, making the heaven insides my mind positively...glow.

"Let me..." Jasper's voice was barely above a whisper across my mouth before he began to sit up on the mattress, prompting me to also sit up straight to allow him room to move.

Jasper's noticeably narrowed his gaze as his eyes roamed over my naked chest and erect member, his hands mapping out seemingly every groove and line of muscle that constructed my torso before I felt satin-smooth lips press against the side of my neck.

I could feel my body hovering where I remained on my knees before him, my eyes having slipped closed as I felt Jasper press kiss after kiss to my neck and collarbone, his fingers dancing heated trails that singed against the rest of the world to stay away just a little while longer from the two of us, as he teased my cock with soft pets of his fingertips.

"...ugh...God..." I stammered under my breath, my body almost convulsing with non-forfeiting need under Jasper's mindful touches to my trembling body, the blonde-haired male taking his time paying attention to my sheet-white skin while he moved his hands down my sides.

My breathing stuttered, my eyes gingerly opening as I felt Jasper place one last candy-sweet kiss to my stomach before latching his hands onto my hips and slowly, carefully pushing me to lie backward.

I hesitated at first, but with my gaze fixed entirely in Jasper's own lovely cobalt eyes, having them tell me everything I needed to know just through their vibrant shade alone, I eased to lie down on my back, my upper half propped up by my elbows so I may continue to watch him.

"It's been too long...way too long...I've missed your taste..." Jasper murmured against my jean-clad thigh, his hands still kneading my hips and waist as if he was just grateful I was even physically here at all.

Absurd.

As if I would want to be anywhere else on the whole goddamn planet right now.

Silly boy...

Then, my eyes widened dramatically as I watched as Jasper licked a long line up the sensitive underside of my cock, only then to wrap his lips around the leaking tip.

"Mmn..." I whimpered helplessly, loving the ministrations but needing more...so much more to quench my ultimate desires with him.

Jasper had his eyes closed, focusing wholly on his task of lapping at my flowing pre-come as he savored the clear droplets before letting his mouth move further along my straining shaft.

It felt like wonderful torture, a perfectly executed death in the sweetest of manners.

My body arched and writhed from receiving such beautiful madness, Jasper's name falling from my lips like quiet rain, before I suddenly sprang into action.

In movements I knew had taken Jasper completely be surprise, I seized either of his arms and pushed him away from me so that he was sprawled on his stomach on the bed, my eyes unable to take watching him tease me the way that he had, my heart...not being able to withstand such a painstaking view of heaven-sent bliss without trying to take control of it at last.

I had to dominate him...now.

A soft grunt escaped me as I hoisted Jasper onto his hands and knees, nudging his legs even farther apart with my own as I inched closer to him, my cock pulsating heavily with near crippling lust; my cravings for him having become absolutely unbearable.

"Oh hell yes...please, Edward...anything you want, baby..." Jasper's accented voice was stunningly wispy, like soft gusts of a spring breeze that made me shiver, as I teased his entrance and crack of his ass with my length, merely rubbing my flesh against his own, showing him exactly the result of all of his soulful caresses and kisses to my body.

I had already felt like I had died slowly and then ascended to somewhere lighter than this place, somewhere...simpler and simply spectacular.

Being with Jasper like this made me feel this way.

Jasper was this better place for me.

No more denying or hiding.

I would tell him everything...

My hands roamed down his lithe back, feeling his toned, whipcord muscles that clenched with each pass of my own skin over his, my eyes drinking in his deliciously submissive position and the way his body begged so wantonly for mine.

I licked my lips as I sank lower, letting him feel my movements as I brought my hands his ass, squeezing his firms cheeks and ran my nose and lips up one side of his perfectly curved flesh.

"...mmn...ha..." Jasper's breath left him in a gentle rush as I used my thumbs to spread him open for me, my lips pressing kiss after kiss to his soft yet taut skin before I flicked my tongue against his puckered entrance.

"Edward...oh my God...please do it...please...I'm begging you...I'll do anything..." my young lover's heady words flitted through my senses, causing me to hum purposefully as I leisurely closed my lips around his tight, pink flesh and began suckling him in earnest.

"Ahh...shit...fuck, Edward...Jesus...just like that...ooh...I love it...I fucking love you doing that to me..." Jasper's voice suddenly filled our bedroom, painting the atmosphere with even more colors to rouse my aspirations with him as I continued to lap and kiss at his now quivering star, my every ministrations being impeccably timed so that I had Jasper mewling with need before cooing out immense pleasure.

I could almost physically ascertain Jasper losing his right mind from my lips and hands as minutes ticked by, my blonde-haired angel never ceasing in vocalizing his building ecstasy as I roughly shoved my tongue inside of his entrance, tasting his most personal of places, as I thoroughly saturated his opening with my moist saliva.

His skin glistened, his skin beckoned, and before I could think otherwise, I plunged two fingers deep inside him.

Jasper roared with pleasure, his moans to the tall headboard adorning the bed frame mixing sensually with pleading calls of my name as I worked him over.

His body was bowed so he could feel my fingers touch deep inside of him, his body grinding shamelessly against the intrusion, pleading for more, as I stretched him well, admittedly enjoying see Jasper get frustrated in his need for me as I made sure every last inch of him I could reach was stimulated.

I had finally had enough.

I pulled my fingers free of him before scooting the last few centimeters closer to him, my knees keeping Jasper's thighs parted wide for me, as I grabbed a hold of my bare, pulsating cock and began teasing his quivering star of flesh with the leaking head.

I could tell Jasper was ready and that he wanted it...just like this.

"...Jasper...breathe, baby..." I instructed in a voice made ethereal from my overwhelmed body and mind as I began pushing my member passed Jasper's initially resistant entrance until I could feel his muscles give way to accept my wide girth.

"Haa..." I could hear Jasper breathing, his hands fisting the sheets beneath us as he tipped his head forward, clearly struggling with a bout of pain as well as pleasure that gradually tipped over its side of the scale as Jasper's sweet voice began groaning again in sensual euphoria, "..ooh...more...oh, yes...give me more, Edward."

"Always..." I answered easily, meaning far more than just the realm of this moment, as I smoothed my hands up and down Jasper's slender sides, loving the feel of his toned flesh pulled so taut for me while he let me ease my straining member in and out of his channel, making the both of us know the most personal information about the other at last.

"Christ...Jasper...feels amazing...ugh..." I moaned as I stilled my hands on his waist, massaging the flesh there as I craned my head back in world-numbing pleasure, my hips continuing to push and pull my heavy cock from his body, stroking deep inside of him with measured movements.

Jasper slowly moved his body in time with my easy thrusts, the both of us savoring the erotic feel of the other as we gained a natural rhythm with each other, as Jasper flattened his hands along the mattress and tossed his curly head to one side, his eyes shut as soft whispers of cotton-soft pleasure overwhelmed us both.

"Edward...ahh...mmn...I love it...I love it...you feel so fucking good...keep going...please..." Jasper spoke in a voice sounding of softly rushing water, his last word gripping something violently tightly inside of me, however, to hear him beg me of something right now, and I immediately picked up my pace in response.

I slammed my whole length inside Jasper's entrance, shuddering a bit from the sharper sensations of pleasure riddling through me as a result as I watched as Jasper bucked back against my groin and howled in ecstasy.

"Yes...ohh...fuck yes, Edward...nnh...just like that...give it to me hard..." Jasper growled his lustful words to me, my sensitive cock able to feel his insides squeezing around my flesh in a manner that coupled the sensuality of his words, as his textured channel gripped and stroked at my intruding length, coaxing me in deeper, coaxing my every move to be harder.

My mind was already forfeit, my senses trained on nothing else but the way I made Jasper receive his pleasure from me, as I shoved my sopping wet cock inside of him, making our heated flesh come into rapid contact over and over as our bodies tried to fuse together, tried to become seamless.

Jasper's name flowed from my mouth like a crisp breeze on an autumn afternoon, as I pounded myself into him, feeling my overall haze turn a completely different color within my mind, as I fully focused on making Jasper cry tears of joy from so much relentless pleasure assaulting his body.

My internal wish was damn-near granted, Jasper's moans mixing in melodically with his vibrant shouts and coos of my name, switching from sounding as fine-tuned as a bell to drawling out in legato syllables that had my blood igniting with fire while he accepted every one of my brutal, demanding thrusts into him.

I had never known such passion, such furious need to combine our two souls through our physical forms, as I could feel my senses drowning pleasantly in the exertion, my heart and body craving this act for as long as our time together permitted.

The way we made love had been like we had something to prove to each other, to God Himself perhaps, and it was only after I heard Jasper choke a few times on his air that I suddenly pulled my cock out of his ass, and then flipped him over onto his back.

I would never be rough with Jasper at any other moment in our lives; I knew this for a fact.

I would never hit him or demean him.

But now...making love to him like this...he would experience exactly just how determined I could be to meld ourselves together.

Jasper barely had any time to catch his breath before I hastily seized one of his legs and threw it over my shoulder, my other hand already directing my cock back inside of his delectable, perspiring body that had him vocalizing a lovely crescendo as he received me all over again.

I loved being able to see Jasper's glorious expressions of his climbing sexual thrill, as if it all was something he needed to struggle with before accepting and letting it flood through him like massive waves he could not stop, as I sank closer down to him that had our abdomens grinding together.

"Tell me...mmh...tell me, sweetheart...tell me you love it..." I growled the command down to him, feeling my orgasm quickly approaching as I ground my aching cock into his entrance, striking his prostate with every movement that had Jasper practically screaming to the ceiling as his hands never ceased in squeezing my arms, running down my body, and pulling at the bed sheets.

Our position allowed for my movements to be quicker with more precision, allowing me to stab far into his soft, moist entrance with almost cruel rigor that had the base of my cock grinding into him with each, swift thrust, making his legato moans turned into choppy pants for air and hurried, broken moans of nonsensical words.

"...ah...ahh...I love it...I fucking love it, Edward...haa...I love you so much...!" Jasper moaned for me to hear, opening his eyes and capturing me within his smoldering yet wholly sincere blue gaze, trapping me, trapping this moment in time between us forever, and I had to stretch forward a little so I could claim his lips with my own.

Despite the blinding lust and fire-laden urgency happening between our bodies, I could feel his unbridled desire and love behind his kiss, a mixture of otherworldly proportions I had not thought possible could be reserved for someone like me...but here it was, being forced upon me like a warm blanket.

Jasper hungrily kissed my lips, devouring what was left me entirely and replacing the pieces with something else entirely, I felt, and I could feel myself becoming lost in one single, amazing second.

Just as Jasper had thrown his arms around me, I broke off our kiss and said in a strained voice to him, my mind surprisingly clear in such a moment, "...Jesus Christ...Jasper...I need to come...need to come right now..."

"Then do it...right now...come inside me..." Jasper purred the words that sent me completely over the edge, his spoken syllables coaxing me in just the right way that had me trembling uncontrollably as I released my come deep inside of him, making my prolonged thrusts squelch inside of him as I continued to pump my length in and out of him.

Jasper closed his eyes, a wonderful, breathless sob of pure pleasure escaping him as he hurriedly grabbed his own leaking member, stroking over his flesh only a few times before I watched as his weeping cock erupted with his essence for a second time, making ribbons of translucent white spatter onto both of our chests as he whispered my name against my lips.

It had been better than I ever could have imagined – finally grabbing onto your inner-most dream, holding onto that fragile element with both hands so that it remained yours and yours alone...it was better than I had ever thought it would be.

This was what I had needed.

This.

I had never been a 'let the chips fall where they may' kind of person.

But, now that I had finally let go...and allowed the best thing to have ever happened to me completely embrace me in his strong, loving arms...I felt so foolish for how things were the way before.

I had always known that Jasper was special, even when just seeing him at the small cafe'.

I had known that he was someone, if not the only one, who could make my life extraordinary, filling in each and every hole with simplistic ease...and all I had to do was give in.

Give in and become complete.

"I love you Jasper...I don't ever want you to leave me again. I don't care what happens, because I'm never turning you away again. We'll face whatever comes our way together...I love you...so much," I cooed breathlessly to my blonde-haired lover, relishing in the gentle way his fingers sifted through my matted hair as we both shook as the adrenaline left our bodies and welcomed bliss instead curled around our limbs.

I could just barely lift my head up in order to seek out his gaze, and when I did, it was to see Jasper's smile, his gorgeous smile, waiting for me.

Jasper nodded to my words, his fingers still playing with my bronze locks as we remained intimately connected and spoke so tenderly to one another, the tolls of our well-earned fatigue quickly coming down on us while we remained quiet in our musings, wise and collected in our post-coital tranquility.

"...sounds perfect," Jasper agreed in his sweet, lazy southern voice, the trail of his fingers across my brow making me have to briefly close my jade-colored eyes as he moved a few of my bangs out of my face.

His light petting was putting me even more at ease, even more in touch with a certain clarity, and I licked my lips before speaking my next thought, knowing now without anymore doubt whatsoever that it needed to be said.

"...and...I think it's time I finally told you everything...everything about me," I declared softly.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

_Edward's POV_

I felt like I should be speaking, but I remained quiet, choosing not to overload Jasper with any of my explanations until he asked.

I had my hands hanging down at my sides, my eyes watching as Jasper stepped slowly though the room, his wide blue eyes staring at each item contained here.

This room, located within the furthest corner of the west wing of the Masen Manor, held everything that had ever meant something to me.

Jasper scanned over the many, aged newspaper clippings that littered the floor and were pinned to the walls, paintings of all sizes and colors and emotions were packed into the corners and by the windows.

Pictures of a single, red-haired woman were kept in pristine frames and under cages of glass.

I knew Jasper did not know what he was looking at, what it all meant, so I finally decided to speak at last.

"My father hates me..." I began in the best way I knew how, the truth, "...always has."

Jasper's eyes flicked to mine as I stepped to his side and peered at the array of newspaper and magazine articles that were plastered to nearly every surface in this room, some still legible while some were not...but I knew what each and every one of them said.

"We have always been at odds with each other...right under his nose while I was growing up, though, I learned from him. Everything he knew about business and politics, I stored in my brain...until one day, I decided just how I could get back at him," I continued to preamble my overall story to Jasper, as he read and I glared at one of the oldest clippings I still possessed.

The news story was about how 'business tycoon's young son challenges him on the market front, becoming the CEO of rival business at age fourteen.'

I hated that newspaper clipping more than most.

"I worked constantly to overthrow him. Because I hate him so much, I would rather see him penniless and on the streets than see him dead...because I knew he would prefer the opposite in that situation," I almost smiled at the thought, as Jasper and I walked the short distance to another section of articles, these scattered carelessly on top of a small table in the center of the room.

"...I don't understand..." Jasper whispered as he gingerly picked up a collection of papers in his hands, looking one over carefully before moving onto the next, some of them catching my eye as they detailed times I had opened new business ventures across the country, when my father had topped the charts again for record sales in the industry, and when the both of us had struggled on the financial front of expanding and progressing.

Always expanding and progressing...

In those days, I had been a monster...totally obsessed with gaining more power, more assets and information and edges, anything that would help me dominate the industry and obliterate my father in the most demeaning way possible – for his own son to surpass him in his field of expertise, a field he had unknowingly trained me in since birth.

I had spoken the truth when I had said I had worked constantly, because it had been those exact thoughts that had been constantly in my mind at the time.

I licked my lips and lowered my eyes, remembering the reason for so much financial warfare between my father and me, why I had spent so many nights hunched over paperwork and charts while I figured endless statistics and shaped every one of my businesses almost as if I were playing a catastrophic game of chess.

I remembered...

"My mother died in a car accident...she was picking me up from school," my words were soft, having not had too many opportunities to speak about such personal matters to another person, as I gazed longingly at one of the many framed photographs of her holding me as a baby, "...my father has always thought it was my fault she died, and he's held it against me all my life. He was...the worst...and I've always hated him for it. For a long time, I strove to outmaneuver him and his businesses. I knew how he would think and what actions he would take, so I did everything in my power to always be one step ahead of him."

Jasper stayed quiet, intently listening to my every word as I finally slid pieces into place for him, I was sure; his eyes moving over a few more sections printed out on the scraps of paper he held.

"Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't..." I admitted boldly, catching Jasper's intense gaze with my own as he still clutched onto the printed public stories of my life, "...until...just once...I did it. I took several of his branch businesses for my own in a huge acquisition. It cost me...a lot...of money and even more time, but, just once, I did it, and I tasted what it meant to be better than him. It was only after that happened, however...that he totally stopped speaking to me."

Jasper gasped and slowly set down the papers, no longer needing to see them as I disclosed such intimate information to him.

"Oh, Edward...this all sounds...so horrible. I had no idea about...well, your family, and..." Jasper seemed to have a hard time dealing with everything I had told him, as he swallowed hard and then reached forward to touch my arm.

I smiled sadly and welcomed his touch, stepping forward and feeling him run his hands up both of my arms until he could rest his hands on my shoulders, my own arms wrapping around his waist in a loose embrace as he and I both desired to have the other close right now.

"I'm glad that you didn't know any of my history when we first met. That meant that you...liked me for me, and not...you didn't see me as the monster everyone else does," I let the whole truth slip from my lips at last, finally speaking aloud even the faintest trace of my real thoughts about myself.

Jasper seemed shocked in an instant, before he suddenly hardened his gaze and pinned my body to his in a crushing hug.

"I've listened to you, now you listen to me...I love you. I...love you," Jasper spoke so plainly to me that it actually pained me how simple and uncomplicated it was to be happy with him and accept his unconditional devotion that seemed to know no bounds, "...that will never change. I feel...more than honored that you've told me everything you have...but now I'm telling you this...I just love you so much. It hurts me to know you've had such a hard time in the past...but I want you to know that I'll be here with you from now on...me and Maria."

Jasper and I were both silent for another beat before the both of us started chuckling joyfully at the mention of my spunky maid also being in my life forever.

"...ha ha...I'll keep that in mind...but, seriously...it means a lot to me to hear you say that, sweetheart," I said as he and I recovered from our fit of laughter, both in the other man's arms with locked hearts and locked gazes and feeling all the previous tension and timid uncertainty float away from us and this room.

"So...was this your mother...?" Jasper asked delicately as he motioned towards one of the framed, protected photos of her sitting on the table beside us.

"Yes..." I answered as he and I slowly parted from our embrace, and I watched as Jasper carefully angled the frame more towards the both of us to see her better.

"She was beautiful," Jasper commented tenderly yet his words weighed so heavily on my heart, "...you have her eyes...it's the same color green...she looks happy."

I nodded.

"So, now you know;" I lamented pitifully, disliking the words I spoke as I turned towards Jasper while I continued, facing him fully in word and intention, "Now you know how I've spent most of my life...how I have this house...why I don't have a father...and why I'm like this..."

Jasper leaped into my arms, and slammed his lips onto mine in a blissfully forceful kiss, his arms wrapped around my shoulders as he pressed more of his weight against me.

It all happened so suddenly that I might have blinked stupidly at first just to allow my brain the time it needed to catch up to such a completely unexpected reaction from my quirky young lover, before I easily melted into Jasper's kiss, needing the softness of his lips and the strength of his hands more than he would ever know.

"Now I know...and nothing has changed about the way I feel about you," he countered smoothly, his warm breath ghosting across my chin and throat while he spoke so affectionately to me, before crushing our lips back together again, kissing me with so much emotion that I could feel his acceptance of me and my jaded past, of everything that had ever gone right or wrong in my life; he wanted it all.

Here, in the midst of my most darkest of secrets surrounding us, Jasper kissed me with so much love.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Edward's POV_

Three days later...

To say that I was nervous would be a gross understatement.

I was downright petrified.

"You good...?" Jasper asked me with a smirk as he and I walked beside each other down another brightly illuminated, ultra-clean hallway.

"Yeah...of course...I'm good," I lied poorly, dodging another blue-clad nurse that shuffled quickly down the same peach and white-colored hallway we were.

Jasper saw right through me.

"Edward...I know this isn't exactly easy for you," Jasper began in a hushed voice, standing close to me outside of the patient's door as he and I exchanged these last intimate words with one another before continuing on through, "...but, I want you to know that it's because this is so difficult for you that it means so much to me. I really am proud of you, you know...for doing this with me."

I felt my body relax significantly at Jasper's words of encouragement and faith, and I decided right then that he was right – this was for him and I needed to put my own problems aside.

"Thanks, baby...alright...let's go meet your dad," I affirmed, finally feeling no discord with my saying these words to him, as I watched Jasper beam a brilliant smile, one that had to have been sent down from the heavens themselves, as Jasper gave me a quick hug in gratitude and then turned to face the room.

Jasper knocked politely on the heavy wooden door before opening it for me and him to venture inside.

"Hi dad," Jasper smiled lovingly at his father whom was lying in the hospital bed at the far end of the large, obviously more expensive and well-equipped room here in the patient wing of the hospital.

"Jasper...come on in. I was just catching up on some reading," Jasper's father greeted us with a voice full of pleasant timbre and well-earned happiness, as he took off his reading glasses and looked upon the both of us with a smile.

My nervousness was back ten-fold and I did not know what to do with my hands, so I looked and looked again around the room.

"Dad...I would like you to meet Edward Masen...my boyfriend," Jasper introduced me with merriment and pride in his voice, not even hesitating in calling me such a title to his old man, as I now had no choice but to lock eyes with the aged male as I carefully shook his hand inside my own.

"Uh-oh...if I'd have known we were going to have extra company, I would have put on a tie at least!" Jasper's dad chuckled light-heartedly at himself, causing Jasper to roll his eyes and me to smile at how...good hearing him crack a joke made me feel.

I was in mild awe of how Jasper's father did not even bat an eye at his son calling me, who was clearly older than him, his boyfriend.

Instead, here was this ailing man trying to recover...and he was smiling at me.

"It's a...real pleasure to meet you finally, sir," I began my formal greeting but was waved off with the other hand that was not currently holding mine, our hands no longer shaking but just holding onto each other in a comfortable stillness, as Jasper's dad politely cut me off.

"Oh, come now...Jasper has talked non-stop about you every time he's been here. I feel like I already know you. Please, just call me Henry...or...dad, if you'd like. I know I sure wouldn't mind," Jasper's father proclaimed proudly, his southern drawl more pronounced than Jasper's, as if this man had lived his whole life in Texas and now it was simply a part of him.

Our hands slowly let go of our neutral grasp, and my eyes did not, could not, leave his.

Jasper had his father's eyes, his lazy smile, and his same easy-going charm.

Talking to him felt...natural.

Comforting.

Enriching.

...like he was the sort of person who could tell me things no one else could.

"So, Jasper and Edward...have a seat and tell me how you both have been. What's new going on?" Jasper's dad piped up as he looked with his sparkling but wise blue eyes between the two of us, folding his hands in his blanket-covered lap.

I was actually first to sit down, obeying Henry Whitlock's word without question, as I also folded my own hands in my lap; for some reason, not wanting to look away from Jasper's dad and his never-ending good nature.

Jasper sat down as well, already speaking his answer.

"Oh, we're just fine, dad...we came to ask how you're doing and what's going on with you..." Jasper countered like a son would, laughing as he situated himself on one of the plump violet-cushioned stools beside his father's bed.

"It's actually good news this time, boys," Henry answered gleefully, his own joy resonating within the room and filling me up as I thrived on his every word, needing them and feeling delighted in how he had included me in his response, "...doctors say they figure I can be out of here in another week, just as long as my latest tests come back alright."

"That's great! Oh my God, this is...this is awesome news, dad...!" Jasper shot up from his stool and gave his father a hug, his movements minding the many tubes and wires connecting the older gentleman to the various machines around him.

"About time, too...I was only a few more exams away from setting fire to this whole damn building, " Jasper's dad cackled in good spirits as he gave Jasper a hearty clap on his back before the two Whitlocks parted and Henry looked over at me.

"Now, I ain't going to make you...but I'd like a hug from you too, son," Jasper's father gave me a pseudo-pointed look as he spoke his words, a smirk plastered on his face which quickly turned into a generous smile.

Son...?

Me?

Wow...

I rose slowly, having to wipe my palms against my thighs a few times as I took my time in stepping the short distance over to where he was, not missing the way Jasper was practically glowing to see me and his father getting along so well.

I gingerly leaned over the hospital bed, feeling partially intimidated by all the equipment present here, but Jasper's dad did not seem to mind as he placed his hands on my shoulders and brought me closer to him, hugging me with a type of noticeable weakened strength and I could feel something lost and forgotten within me shift.

I hugged Jasper's dad in light of his good news, but I think it was me who was receiving something good in this moment.

Shortly after my hug ended with Jasper's dad, Jasper and I took our leave from the room as it had gotten quite late in the evening by then.

I exchanged good-byes with Henry almost in a daze, walking only a few steps outside of his closed room with my head no longer belonging to me, until I just stopped moving.

"Ed...?" Jasper whispered next to me, as he placed a hand on my arm, asking me with his touch what was wrong and showing me his concern.

I turned my head to look at Jasper and saw him gasp silently.

"...honey...why are you crying...?" Jasper cooed to me sweetly, stepping closer and running his hands up and down my arms in a soothing gesture as he fixed me with a heartbreakingly worried expression.

My eyes drifted to my lower left in thought even though everything was so crystal clear to me.

"I um...I was just thinking that that must have been what having a real dad...felt like," I admitted solemnly, pulling my sleeve over my hand and scrubbing my face with it to dry my tears and collect my composure again.

"And...what did it feel like...?" Jasper asked me with a growing, emotional smile, now understanding completely my silent tears and my far-away mind and soul right now.

I sniffed and finished rubbing my cheeks with the cuff of my sleeve before I steadied my breathing and then smirked at my young, blonde lover, my answer already formed and brilliant inside my mind.

"It felt wonderful," I said strongly; like a lovely dawn of gold and burgundy and orange spreading out inside my mind and within my heart, I answered my beautiful Jasper about exactly how I felt in this moment because I had spoken so freely to his father.

Blessed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

_Jasper's POV_

Three months later...

"Don't be gone long...I hate it when you're gone and you leave me here all alone," I pouted in mock seriousness to Edward as I watched as he shrugged on his long, wool overcoat and adjusted the lapels several times.

Edward looked as handsome as always, but possibly even more right now as he was clad in a stunning Armani suit and copper dress shirt and tie that accented his hair and made his skin seem even milkier against such rich colors.

"I promise I will be back before you know it..." Edward spoke somberly, meaning every word and I could tell in his voice that he did not want to be apart from me either, "...these chairmen meetings are all the same. We have coffee, we say hello, look at a few figures, and then call it a day..."

I chuckled at Edward's depiction of his upcoming meeting, which I really imagined was quite involved with the other heads of the departments of Edward's multifaceted organization, like something out of the play _Twelve Angry Men_.

"Well, okay...but still...hurry back..." I got up from the couch and strode over to my older, wiser lover, positively in love with the way he watched me like he was ready to pounce on me and was barely restraining himself of doing exactly that, as I straightened his coat lapels for him, not that they needed it.

"I definitely will...I can't wait to get these stuffy meetings over with as soon as possible...so I can come back to you..." Edward growled the last of his thought to me, wrapping his hands around my waist and tugging me to him for a quick but satisfying kiss.

"...play nice," I instructed cheekily with a smirk as our kiss ended, causing Edward to smirk also with an amused roll of his emerald green eyes.

I laughed as Edward stole another kiss from my lips and then playfully smacked my ass before turning towards the door.

I waved good-bye to him with a smile as I watched as Edward hurriedly departed the residence, him needing to make up for lost time on the road as he hustled to the garage.

I closed the door and took a deep breath, already missing my brave, strong Edward being here with me, but I pushed the sullen mood aside and began briskly walking to the kitchen where I knew a certain someone would be.

I was going to help Maria make breakfast so she and I could eat outside on the balcony.

Maybe I could even convince her to add a little ice cream in with our meal.

I smiled at the thought, looking forward to it already.

X

Several hours later, after my extravagant breakfast with ice cream with Maria...

_Bam...bam...bam...!_

I startled awake from a peaceful nap on the loveseat, a strange jolt having gone through me upon hearing such a loud noise rattle through the house and force me to open my slumbering eyes.

"What the hell...maybe it's Edward..." I whispered aloud before flinging myself off of the loveseat, already rushing out of the room and towards the front double doors, ready to see my gorgeous boyfriend and welcome him home.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm coming, Ed...I wonder what the big deal is...," I laughed to myself as I heard the knocking sound once more before I grabbed a hold of one of the brass handles and opened the door for him.

"Edward, what...oh...?" I began to address my fiery lover, but hushed up immediately upon seeing that the person knocking on the front door was not Edward, but someone older with blonde hair and unreadable eyes.

"Excuse me," the stranger voiced coolly before boldly stepping inside the house, making me have to quickly move aside so he may enter as he wished, as he looked around the foyer as if he was sizing up the place.

"Um...can I help you...?" I asked the man, watching with a puzzled look on my face as he took intricate care in peeling off his brown leather gloves, the long flaps of his lighter brown coat moving about as he turned this way and that, still appearing to be looking around and ignoring me in the process.

"Well, then..." the stranger spoke at last, a sigh escaping him at the end of his words as he finally spun around to face me, me having admittedly inched more and more towards the staircase on my right, "...is my idiot of a son around?"

"...s-son...?" I choked on the word, my eyes widened and I instantly became extremely fearful of this man, snippets of some of the words Edward had used to describe him flooding into my brain in a millisecond, as I could barely continue speaking, "...you're...you're Edward's father...?"

This man, whom I knew right away to being Carlisle Masen of the great Masen Empire Industries, one of the most powerful men in the business world, one of the people I hated most, curled his lip at me, appearing more bored with me than anything, as he slapped his gloves into one palm and stared at me critically.

"Look, I really don't have all day to bother with...ah...Maria..." Carlisle began scolding me before I saw him direct his cruel glare over my shoulder as the maid came storming down one of the first floor's hallways and stepped directly to my side.

"Mr. Masen..." Maria addressed the man with just as much ice as he had spoken to me, as she grabbed my arm and pulled me to stand behind her, relieving me from his harsh gaze and unforgiving tone as she continued to speak to him with her defenses blatantly up, "...to what do we owe this occasion...?"

Her words were polite but her tone was poison as she narrowed her dark eyes at him, his expression much cooler, almost a blank canvas of arrogant indifference, as he licked the inside of his mouth before replying.

"I am to see how Edward is doing...so where, pray tell, is my moronic son, Maria?" Carlisle said, and I could not help but notice this man's second time of calling Edward something outrageously ride.

"Hey...don't call him a moron...he's the smartest man I've..." I began to counter strongly but was shushed by Maria right away as she turned towards me and placed a dainty hand on my chest to keep me from involuntarily moving forward, "...what...it's true...he shouldn't be calling Edward anything like..."

"Anything like what?" Carlisle finished my words that were directed to Maria, his voice chilly and commanding our attention as it echoed off of the dark wooden walls and decor, as he began to take carefully measured steps forward towards Maria and me, his hands folded cordially behind his back, "...like the...nightmare of a son he turned out to be...how he almost ruined me personally and financially...are you telling me right now that I should not call Edward for the thing that he really is...a lunatic, a madman...someone who cannot be controlled or know what civility is...!"

My body was shaking with rage, hearing such words, such horrible words filled with so much pain and anger blindly lashing out that mirrored some of Edward's own confessions to me about himself and his past with this man, and I felt like I could finally understand just how severe Edward's wounds had been because of him...and that before, I had had no idea.

I saw red flash in front of my eyes.

I pushed passed Maria so I could be right in Carlisle's face.

"That's exactly what I'm saying! You don't even hardly know him, so how could you call him these things...idiot and nightmare...he's your son! You should love him no matter what!" I shouted in Edward's father's face, hating him immensely; possibly pitying him more.

While I was evidently losing my cool, Carlisle was the very image of not even caring how passionate I was about my feelings.

"He is my son...how dare you presume that I don't know him..." Carlisle spoke with quiet fury in his otherwise silken smooth voice, his subtly growing irritation with me making my nerves even more on edge, setting my mind even more on a fine-tipped point while I had no choice but to listen, "...I think it is you who does now know his place."

I sucked in lungful of air, needing it to try to balance me somewhat, as I watched as Edward's father blinked lazily at me, frowning his goddamn mouth as if to say to me 'your move.'

"I have more right to be here than you do..." I spoke bravely, thinking of Edward, drawing from Edward, needing Edward right now, as my tone was low and serious, not breaking and unyielding, "...Edward loves me...I love him...more than you could imagine...that's everything I need to know."

Carlisle hesitated.

I breathed easier.

Time held still.

Our gazes never wavered from the other man's, our conversation continuing just no longer with words, and I could tell that this man was having to process what I had just disclosed to him.

Suddenly, one of the front doors swung open, inviting a chilly burst of air that just barely ruffled my long-sleeved navy shirt as a figure hustled inside, shaking the cold off from outside.

Edward was already turning towards the coat rack to hang up the scarf he had just finished pulling from around his neck, when he froze, seeing his father, seeing me and his father in the same vicinity and having obviously been speaking to one another.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

_Edward's POV_

This could not be real.

I blinked at the image of my father standing before Jasper, Maria wringing her hands nervously behind them both, and all eyes were on me.

"Ah, Edward..." my father was the first to speak since it felt like I did have the ability to at first, a farce of a smile ghosting his lips that did not reach his eyes as he turned more to regard me.

I swallowed down my surprise and felt my usual annoyance with Carlisle begin to fester in its place, my mind always remembering how with him.

"Carlisle...what brings you here?" I asked icily, not bothering to take off my coat as I stood stock-still, hating that he was in my house, hating how he must have upset Jasper, just...hating...him.

My father clucked his tongue at my addressing him by his first name, a small but significant way I had always voiced my displeasure with him, before he answered.

"I thought it best if I let you know in person that I am leaving the country," my father spoke to me, locking his cool gaze with mine with a something hidden beneath the solid tone, something...vulnerable.

I was stunned all over again.

"What...?" I said a bit automatically, needing an explanation for such a declaration.

Carlisle inhaled an amount of air through his nose, lowering his gaze from mine and moving it about a few things making up the foyer, as if he needed to buy some time before telling me the truth, something he knew I deserved.

Carlisle blinked at Jasper, merely watching him for a second, before directing his gaze firmly back to mine again, a certain strength back within his words and air again, so much so that I was left a little dizzy.

"I've disbursed the remaining branches...bolstered the main locations, and we decided last month that we are going to take our most successful business lines overseas," Carlisle explained his corporate moves to me, instantly making my brain tilt with numbers, with realizations...with questions.

This would make my businesses undoubtedly the most prominent and profitable in the market here in the Unites States.

This would secure my business and my life for years and years to come.

This...changes everything.

But why?

"I don't understand...why...would you do that?" I had to ask in the plainest of terms to my father, watching as he smirked and immediately dropped his gaze to the floor, his every action still appearing like high-class royalty even as he picked up his gaze with a knowing smile still in place.

"It is simply my time to move on..." Carlisle explained without really explaining to me, before flicking his gaze over to Jasper on his right and then fixing his gaze on me with something, some emotion, I could never ever recall seeing there before, "...it seems like you have already moved on."

His words confused me, his expression puzzling me more so, whereby the only thing that could make any sense whatsoever...was that he had spoken to Jasper, that was referring to Jasper and myself.

My defenses lowered, my attention noticeably drifting to my younger, blonde-haired angel, watching his beautiful face as he continued to be wary of my father and me together and speaking like this.

"I have...sir," I replied gently, calling Carlisle something other than his given name for the first time in what felt like too long, and the silence amongst us all was pregnant and reflective and...healing.

Carlisle licked his lips in thought.

"Well...I've been here long enough so I best be going..." my father announced regally, before surprisingly me further by taking a step towards me and extending his gloved hand to me, "...consider this my resignation from the game...you've won, son."

I knew my mouth was hanging open.

I also knew that there was not anything I could do about it; I was too stunned, too speechless.

I accepted my father's hand and we both shook hands in a mutual gesture of good faith, something I was not too fond of receiving from this man at all, and I was overcome by a sense of awe and longing, of a certain kind of unmentionable regret and yet...respect.

I respected what was taking place between us now, what he had disclosed to me, and what this meant for our separate futures.

"...I'll...be seeing you around," I voiced with a knowing smirk as Carlisle and I ended our handshake, my father mirroring my smirk as he blinked at me and then turned around to face Jasper.

Jasper straightened his form upon being subject to my father's attention once more, the act making me smile in full, as I watched as Carlisle also patted Jasper on the shoulder in a hearty, friendly display even though I could tell that my boyfriend did not know how to react.

"Take care of him..." Carlisle spoke to Jasper, the latter only being able to nod and I saw as Jasper's calculating stare melted into one of understanding, one of warmth.

It was enriching to witness and I felt more of that longing emotion within me intensify.

Satisfied with Jasper's response, Carlisle turned back to me, our gaze locked for what felt like a moment I would treasure forever, before he stepped to the door and gracefully let himself out.

I felt the muscles in my chest relax upon hearing and seeing the door close behind my father, before the tapping of shoes brought me out of my daze as I turned my head back towards the rest of the house and saw as Maria immediately went to Jasper's side, my maid asking him if he was alright.

I rushed over to Jasper and Maria as well, not even bothering to take off my coat which I had honestly forgotten I was still wearing, as I grabbed Jasper in a great hug.

Jasper returned my hug with equally passionate fervor as he squeezed his arms around me, burying his face in my shoulder for only a small moment before we parted so we could talk about what had just happened.

"Jazz, honey...are you okay...? I mean, I come home and all I see is..." I had begun but Jasper quickly cut me off with a shake of his curly head as he regarded Maria and me.

"I'm fine...I'm just...Edward, what about you? This was...what does this mean, what he was talking about?" Jasper asked a bit brokenly, but I knew what he was asking.

From the look Maria was giving me, she wanted to know the answer as well.

I addressed them both in saying, "It's over...the fight, the rivalry, whatever you want to call it...it's over. By him breaking up his smaller organizations, he lost a lot of his diversification and footholds into other markets. By him settling overseas, that means that..."

"...what?" Jasper prompted upon hearing me trail off, but in truth, my thoughts were so overlapping, so explosive and progressive, that I barely knew how to explain.

"...I won..." I echoed my father's words, knowing that he had basically allowed me to have a monopoly of the particular industry here in the States, that I had accomplished the one thing I had never allowed him to have because of our feud.

Carlisle had let me win, and it had been the most fatherly thing he had ever done for me.

Maria grinned in approval while Jasper enveloped me in another embrace, this one of joy and congratulations as all of us began to understand what had really just transpired between in this room.

A beaming smile splitting my face and with tears of happiness gathering at the corners of my eyes, I wrapped my arms around Jasper's back and hoisted his lithe frame completely up from the floor, spinning the two of us a few times as Maria discreetly dabbed at her eyes with a white kerchief.

Jasper laughed as he pawed at my shoulders for support before I carefully set him back down, the both of us a little out of breath and with stars in our vision and love in our hearts.

"Jasper...why don't we do it, too...let's leave here, just you and me...we'll go to other countries, see the world...go wherever you've always wanted...!" I announced the wildfire idea to my giggling lover, my mind at perfect harmony with the world and every one of the words coming from my mouth as I offered something so grand to the single most important person in my life.

"Are you serious! What about...what about the house...it's your home, and..." Jasper had begun to protest even though he could barely contain his brilliant smile at me as well, our hands continuing to hold each other close whilst we made one of the biggest decisions of out lives as if it was nothing.

"Exactly. This has been my home...I want to find..._our_ home. I want to start over and do things right...with you...and the longer it takes...the better..." I explained somberly, my smile relaxing into a pleasant but serious smirk as I watched as Jasper's light and love only grew as a result.

"Oh my God..." Jasper chuckled somewhat breathlessly, before fixing me with his delighted, twinkling gaze and grinning expression, "...my dad is going to freak out when I tell him I'm leaving the country. But, what about this house...?"

I smiled, already knowing the answer.

"How does your dad feel about...becoming a new homeowner?" I asked with a crooked, playful grin.


End file.
